Watch history unfold on Saturday, May 30, as NASA and SpaceX launch astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station in the SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. This mission marks the first time since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011 that humans will fly to the space station from U.S. soil.
The mission’s first launch attempt on Wednesday, May 27 was scrubbed due to weather conditions. Tune in starting at 11 a.m. EDT as NASA and SpaceX provide joint, live coverage from launch to arrival at the space station. Teams are targeting 3:22 p.m. EDT for the launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pad A was the launch site for 11 Apollo Saturn V missions, including Apollo 11, the first Moon landing, and 82 space shuttle missions, including STS-1, the first shuttle launch, and STS-135, the final shuttle mission. The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station on Sunday, May 31.
Even if you can not attend the launch, you can see it thanks to the NASA live TV. Moreover, since the fly is very bright, may be you will get the chance to see the spacecraft during few minutes in the sky. To do so, you can use the software available on the heavens-above.com website. First, enter the name of your city in the box at the top right of the home page. Then, click on “Crew Dragon” (or on ISS) in the list of satellites. Finally, select the launch date (May 30th). The sky map is then displayed, with the drawings of the constellations to locate you and the trajectory of the selected satellite. Enjoy!