Journey to the ISS: NASA and SpaceX Crew-1 Mission

(Updated: November 17, 2020)

From launch preparation on land to docking with the ISS in space, here are some highlights from the NASA and SpaceX Crew-1 mission. NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Shannon Walker, and Victor Glover, along with Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched in a new Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket on November 15 at 7:27P ET from the NASA Kennedy Launch Complex 39A. After a 27 hour journey, the spacecraft docked with the ISS at 11:01P ET.

November 12, 2020

By: Alexia Rosenfield and Leah Weber

Show: SPACE LAUNCH LIVE

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Launch Preparations

From left, NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Gover and Michael Hopkins, along with Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), board a plane from Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, en route to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to begin final launch preparations. Crew-1 is the first operational mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Launch Preparations

Pilot Victor Glover, spacecraft commander Michael Hopkins, mission specialist Soichi Noguchi, and mission specialist Shannon Walker participate in a SpaceX training exercise on July 22, 2020, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission. Glover, Hopkins, and Walker are all NASA astronauts; Noguchi is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut. The exercise involved simulating an emergency situation prior to liftoff at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.

Launch Preparations

From back to front, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Shannon Walker, mission specialist Soichi Noguchi, and spacecraft commander Michael Hopkins participate in an egress training exercise on July 21, 2020, in preparation for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission. Glover, Walker, and Hopkins are all NASA astronauts; Noguchi is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut. The exercise involved simulating an emergency situation after splashdown of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Launch Preparations

The astronauts for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission pose for a photo in front of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience by the crew, inside the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A on Nov. 8, 2020. From left, JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, mission specialist; NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, spacecraft commander; NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, pilot.

Launch Preparations

The astronauts for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission visit the Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience by the crew, inside the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A on Nov. 8, 2020.

Launch Preparations

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft has arrived at the NASA Kennedy Launch Complex 39A.

Launch Complex 39A

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A after being rolled out overnight as preparations continue for the Crew-1 mission, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled to launch at 7:27 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 15, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

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Photo By: NASA/James Blair

Photo By: NASA/SpaceX

Photo By: NASA/Joel Kowsky