This story was originally published by NASA and is unaltered.

(C) NASA
This story was originally published by NASA and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .

Live Countdown Coverage Begins for First Firefly Commercial Lunar Flight – Artemis [1]

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Date: 2025-01-15

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for a 1:11 a.m. EST liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Watch now on NASA+, NASA TV, or the agency’s website.

Aboard Falcon 9 is Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, which is carrying 10 NASA scientific instruments to the Moon as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign.

Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron are predicting a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, with the primary weather concerns revolving around the cumulus cloud rule and liftoff winds.

Here’s a look at some of today’s countdown and ascent milestones. All times are approximate:

COUNTDOWN

Hr/Min/Sec Event

– 00:38:00 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load

– 00:35:00 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins

– 00:35:00 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins

– 00:16:00 2nd stage LOX loading begins

– 00:07:00 Falcon 9 begins pre-launch engine chill

– 00:05:00 Dragon transitions to internal power

– 00:01:00 Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks

– 00:01:00 Propellant tanks pressurize for flight

– 00:00:45 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch

– 00:00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start

– Falcon 9 liftoff

LAUNCH, LANDING, AND SEPARATION

Hr/Min/Sec Event

00:01:12 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)

00:02:28 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)

00:02:31 1st and 2nd stages separate

00:02:38 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)

00:03:28 Fairing Separation

00:06:04 1st stage entry burn begins

00:06:30 1st stage entry burn end

00:07:49 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)

00:07:58 1st stage landing burn begin

00:08:20 1st stage landing burn end

01:05:36 Blue Ghost separates from 2nd stage

[END]
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[1] Url: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2025/01/15/live-countdown-coverage-begins-for-first-firefly-commercial-lunar-flight/

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