WASHINGTON, July 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will
provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch, launch, and docking
activities for the agency's Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2)
mission to the International Space Station. OFT-2 is the second
uncrewed flight for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft as part
of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. The mission is targeted to
launch at 1:20 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug.
3.
Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket
from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
in Florida. About 30 minutes after
launch, Starliner will perform its orbital insertion burn to begin
its daylong trip to the space station. The spacecraft is scheduled
to dock to the space station at 1:37 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 4. Launch and docking coverage will air live
on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website.
The spacecraft will carry more than 400 pounds of NASA cargo and
crew supplies to the space station. It will return to Earth with
more than 550 pounds of cargo, including the reusable Nitrogen
Oxygen Recharge System tanks that provide breathable air to station
crew members.
OFT-2 will demonstrate the end-to-end capabilities of the
Starliner spacecraft and Atlas V rocket, from launch,
to docking, to a return to Earth with a desert landing in the
western United States. The
uncrewed mission will provide valuable data toward NASA certifying
Boeing's crew transportation system for regular flights to and from
the space station.
The deadline has passed for media accreditation for in-person
coverage of this launch. More information about media accreditation
is available by emailing: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
NASA has updated its coronavirus (COVID-19) policies to remain
consistent with new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) guidance. Credentialed media will receive additional details
from the media operations team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA's Boeing OFT-2 mission coverage is as follows (all times
Eastern):
Tuesday, Aug.
3
12:30 p.m. – NASA TV
launch coverage begins for a targeted 1:20
p.m. liftoff. NASA TV will have continuous coverage through
Starliner orbital insertion.
3:30 p.m. (approximately) –
Postlaunch news conference on NASA TV. Participants will
include:
- Steve Stich, manager, NASA's
Commercial Crew Program.
- TBD, NASA's International Space Station Program.
- John Vollmer, vice president and
program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program.
- John Elbon, chief operating
officer, United Launch Alliance.
Media may ask questions in-person and via phone. Limited
auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For
the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy
newsroom no later than 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug.
3, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
Wednesday, Aug. 4
10:30 a.m. – NASA TV rendezvous
and docking coverage begins.
1:37 p.m. (scheduled) –
Docking
Thursday, Aug. 5
8:30 a.m. – NASA TV hatch opening
coverage begins
8:40 a.m. – Hatch opening
9:40 a.m. (approximately)
–Welcoming remarks
NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 12:30
p.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links
to streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be
carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing
321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission
audio," countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary,
will be carried on 321-867-7135.
On launch day, a "clean feed" of the launch without NASA TV
commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel. Launch
also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940
MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of NASA's Boeing OFT-2 mission will be
available on the agency's website. Coverage will include
livestreaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than
12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3, as the
countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of
the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions
about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at:
321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/oft-2/
Public Participation
NASA invites the public to take part in virtual activities and
events ahead of OFT-2.
Members of the public can register to attend the launch
virtually. NASA's virtual guest program for OFT-2 includes curated
launch resources, notifications about NASA social interactions, and
the opportunity for a virtual launch passport stamp following a
successful launch. Print, fold, and get ready to fill your virtual
guest launch passport.
Engage kids and students in virtual and hands-on activities that
are both family-friendly and educational through Next Gen STEM
Commercial Crew.
Watch and Engage on Social Media
Stay connected with the mission on social media via Twitter,
Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #LaunchAmerica. Follow
and tag these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @Commercial_Crew, @Space_Station,
@NASAKennedy
Facebook: NASA, NASACommercialCrew, ISS Facebook,
Kennedy Space Center
Instagram: NASA, ISS Instagram, NASAKennedy
NASA will provide a live video feed of Space Launch Complex-41
approximately 6 hours prior to the planned liftoff of the OFT-2
mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be
uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on NASA TV,
approximately one hour prior to launch.
Once the feed is live, it will be available at:
http://youtube.com/kscnewsroom
Make sure to check out NASA en español on Twitter, Instagram,
Facebook, and YouTube for more Spanish-language coverage on
OFT-2.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el
Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en
español, comuníquese con Antonia
Jaramillo 321-501-8425
antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is delivering on its goal of
safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the
International Space Station from the
United States through a partnership with American private
industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight
history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International
Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial
opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's
next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to
the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
For NASA's launch blog and more information about the mission,
visit:
www.nasa.gov
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SOURCE NASA