What you need to know about NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission

LAKE MARY, Fla. - NASA and SpaceX are teaming up for another historic launch from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday evening.  Here's what you need to know about the Crew-3 mission.

NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer will launch aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft launching atop a Falcon 9 rocket on its way to the space station. The mission is scheduled to lift off no earlier than 9:03 p.m. EST Wednesday, November 10, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

The Crew-3 mission will fly a new Crew Dragon spacecraft and will be the first mission to fly a previously used nosecone. It is a tradition that the first astronauts to fly a new capsule name their spacecraft; Crew-3 chose "Endurance." 

The roles for each crew member are outlined below:

• Raja Chari: Mission Commander
• Tom Marshburn: Pilot
• Kayla Barron: Mission Specialist
• Matthias Maurer: Mission Specialist

Mission Overview 

Lifting off from Launch Pad 39A on a Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon will accelerate its four passengers to approximately 17,500 mph and put it on an intercept course with the International Space Station. The Falcon 9 first stage that will be used to launch this mission flew previously on SpaceX’s 22nd commercial resupply mission to the station in June 2021.  

Once in orbit, the crew and SpaceX mission control will monitor a series of automatic maneuvers that will guide the Crew-3 astronauts to their new home in orbit at the forward end of the station’s Harmony module. After a 22-hour journey, Crew Dragon will be in a position to rendezvous and dock with the space station at 7:10 p.m. November 11. The spacecraft is designed to dock autonomously with the ability for astronauts aboard the spacecraft to take control and pilot manually, if necessary. 

The Crew-3 astronauts will spend approximately six months aboard the International Space Station conducting new scientific research in areas such as materials science, health technologies, and plant science to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and benefit life on Earth. 

Information provided by NASA.

Watch FOX 35 Orlando to see the launch LIVE on Wednesday.