Falcon 9 rocket set to carry Crew-6 into orbit next week rolled out to launchpad

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Falcon 9 rocket that will carry a Dragon Crew capsule into orbit early next week is now vertical at Launch Complex 39A in Cape Canaveral. SpaceX and NASA are targeting no earlier than Monday, February 27, to launch the sixth operational human spaceflight mission (Crew-6) to the International Space Station.

The Crew-6 team landed safely on the Space Coast Tuesday afternoon, gearing up for their six-month mission to the ISS.

The instantaneous launch window is at 1:45 a.m. ET, with a backup opportunity available on Tuesday, February 28 at 1:22 a.m. ET.  SpaceX says the Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew Demo-2, Crew-2, and Axiom Space’s Ax-1 to and from the space station. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Falcon 9 and Dragon are vertical at Launch Complex 39A. [Credit: SpaceX]

Falcon 9 and Dragon are vertical at Launch Complex 39A. [Credit: SpaceX]

The crew is expected to conduct experiments in areas such as life and physical sciences to advanced materials, technology development, in-space production applications, and even student-led research.