A Look at Today’s Launch Milestones
We’re about 4 hours away from the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission. Below are key milestones leading up to launch, along with critical events that occur shortly after liftoff. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to launch at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space […] The post A Look at Today’s Launch Milestones appeared first on NASA…
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a Dragon spacecraft atop is prepared for liftoff on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The NASA-funded SpaceX Crew-13 mission is set to launch at 11:10 a.m. EDT. The countdown to launch includes several key milestones, starting with the crew donning their spacesuits and undergoing checks at 7:00 a.m. and the crew's transport to the launch pad at 8:05 a.m. The Dragon spacecraft is entered by the crew at 8:50 a.m., followed by a series of communication checks and seat rotations.
The launch director verifies the launch readiness at 10:25 a.m., and the Dragon spacecraft's hatch is closed at 9:15 a.m. The Falcon 9's stage separation occurs at 11:17 a.m., and the second stage engine cutoff happens at 11:19 a.m. The Dragon spacecraft separates from the second stage at 11:20 a.m., marking the completion of the launch milestones.
Written by urgent.news from NASA Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
