Experience the Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission

By Michelle Zajac | JAN 05, 2024

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 members, (from left) Alexander Grebenkin from Roscosmos; Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps, all NASA astronauts, are pictured training inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in Hawthorne, California.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated Jan. 9 to reflect the extension of the application deadline to 3 p.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 11.

Digital content creators are invited to register to attend the launch of the eighth SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket that will carry crew to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission. This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

The targeted launch date for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission is no earlier than mid-February from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin, to the International Space Station to conduct a wide range of operational and research activities.

If your passion is to communicate and engage the world online, then this is the event for you! Seize the opportunity to see and share the #Crew8 mission launch.

A maximum of 50 social media users will be selected to attend this three-day event and will be given access similar to news media.

NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:

• View a crewed launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft.
• Tour NASA facilities at Kennedy Space Center.
• Meet and interact with Crew-8 subject matter experts.
• Meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media.

NASA Social registration for the Crew-8 launch opens on Friday, Jan. 5, and the deadline to apply is at 3 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 11. All social applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

APPLY NOW

Do I need to have a social media account to register?

Yes. This event is designed for people who:

• Actively use multiple social networking platforms and tools to disseminate information to a unique audience.
• Regularly produce new content that features multimedia elements.
• Have the potential to reach a large number of people using digital platforms, or reach a unique audience, separate and distinctive from traditional news media and/or NASA audiences.
• Must have an established history of posting content on social media platforms.
• Have previous postings that are highly visible, respected, and widely recognized.

Users on all social networks are encouraged to use the hashtag #NASASocial and #Crew8. Updates and information about the event will be shared on X via @NASASocial and @NASAKennedy, and via posts to Facebook and Instagram.

How do I register?

Registration for this event opens Friday, Jan. 5, and clo