Discussion: Heads up for the Dragon Crew2 launch Thurs morning

The dragon Crew 2 mission to the ISS is scheduled to launch at 6:11 AM EDT on Thurs morning (Apr 22). That's 40 mins before local sunrise at KSC, so the vehicle will launch in darkness and fly into sunlight. I've been working on a tool to predict the launch illumination.

The vehicle should enter sunlight right at MECO/stage separation, 2.5 mins into flight. For folks in FL/GA/SC this should be pretty spectacular, although the predawn sky will be brighter than that Starlink launch back in March. For us in Baltimore/D.C. the second stage plume will already be in sunlight when it rises above our local horizon, ~5 mins after launch, and remain lit through SECO. After that the 2nd stage will still be in sunlight, but coasting with no plume.

So for us its all about how bright the sky is 5 mins before sunrise (6:20 AM). Might be worth stepping out to have a look. I'll e-mail you a .kml file with my estimate of the flight profile for use in Google Earth.

They've just delayed the launch by one day due to downrange weather. The move is actually great for our viewing chances, since the new launch time is about 20 mins earlier at 5:49 AM EDT, Fri Apr 23. I'll run the new timing and put together an updated kml.

45 mins to an on-time launch. Access arm retract and propellant load starting now. Livestream on NASA TV.