KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – The SpaceX hardware tasked with flying a highly anticipated demonstration mission later this month made its first appearance at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday.
The company's Crew Dragon spacecraft, mated to the top of a brand new Falcon 9 booster, rolled out in a horizontal configuration to pad 39A just before 10 a.m. as teams continued preparations toward an uncrewed demonstration flight slated for no earlier than Jan. 17.
SpaceX teams typically perform a variety of tests and checkouts at the pad before launching rockets. These range from the visible test fires before every launch to fit checks, which make sure the rocket's hardware aligns properly with ground equipment at the pad. In the case of high-profile missions with new vehicles such as Crew Dragon, teams will have to adapt to new hardware as well as NASA requirements.
The rocket and spacecraft went fully vertical at the pad by 5:30 p.m., reports News 6 partner Florida Today.
On Friday, the specialized walkway installed on the launch tower was extended to the spacecraft. NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will be the first to walk across the futuristic black and white walkway and board the SpaceX Crew Dragon on its maiden voyage to space with crew. That historic launch is slated for sometime in June.
[READ: Meet the NASA astronauts who will be first to launch on Boeing, SpaceX spacecraft]
The Jan. 17 timing of the mission, however, could be impacted by the ongoing government shutdown, which has furloughed a majority of NASA's workforce. SpaceX is flying the mission under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, an initiative designed to return astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil – an accomplishment not seen since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011.
Before Commercial Crew spacecraft can fly with astronauts, the program requires that both contractors – SpaceX and Boeing – fly uncrewed demonstration flights to the ISS. If successful, both companies will fly a second demonstration mission with crews.
In between uncrewed and crewed flights, both will also have to conduct abort system tests, which are designed to propel astronauts away from rockets in the event of a launch failure.
The current timelines, which could shift, include:
– January: SpaceX Crew Dragon on a Falcon 9 rocket (uncrewed)
– March: Boeing Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket (uncrewed)
– June: SpaceX Crew Dragon on a Falcon 9 rocket (crewed)
– August: Boeing Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket (crewed)
After the demonstration flights and reviews of data, both will be able to proceed with the first operational missions. Astronauts have already been selected for those.
Beyond Commercial Crew, the next launch for the Eastern Range will be hosted at United Launch Alliance's Launch Complex 37. A Delta IV rocket will vault the Air Force's 10th and final Wideband Global SATCOM satellite, or WGS-10, to orbit.