--- title: "NASA and SpaceX Finally Choose Date for Historic Astronaut Launch" description: "NASA and SpaceX have officially set the launch date for Crew-1, the first-ever operational \"shift-change\" mission involving Crew Dragon, for November 14." date: "2020-10-27" modified: "2020-10-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-and-spacex-finally-chose-date-for-historic-astronaut-launch-after-several-delays" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "crew dragon" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # NASA and SpaceX Finally Choose Date for Historic Astronaut Launch ![NASA has officially set the date for SpaceX's long awaited Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station for 2:40 am Eastern time on October 31.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Mark Your Calendars NASA and SpaceX have [officially set the launch date]() for Crew-1, the first-ever operational "shift-change" mission involving SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, [for November 14](). The original launch date has [shifted around]() several times. Following the successful Demo-2 mission this summer, NASA had tentatively set the date [for late August](). Further delays pushed it to "no earlier than late September," before being moved to October 23, and [then October 31](). [Problems]() involving the first-stage engine gas generators on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket used to launch the capsule forced NASA to push back the date in mid-October. ## Save the Date The upcoming mission will carry [four astronauts]() — Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker from NASA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist Soichi Noguchi — to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:49 pm Eastern time. ## Tested and Ready Crew-1 follows the success of Demo-2, the first time American astronauts launched from US soil since the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley [splashed down]() in the Atlantic on August 2 after spending several weeks on board the space station. A teleconference tomorrow afternoon will discuss the upcoming launch, including results from SpaceX tests involving the Merlin engines used to propel the spacecraft. **READ MORE:** [NASA, SpaceX Invite Media to Crew-1 Mission Update, Target New Launch Date]() \[NASA\] **More on the mission:** *[NASA Announces Crew For Upcoming SpaceX Mission]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()