hen it comes to watching SpaceX’s historic first astronaut launch for NASA on Wednesday (May 27), to say “you have options” would be an understatement. Since NASA has asked the public to stay home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many ways to watch it on TV, cable news and — of course — online.
The mission, called Demo-2, will launch NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley into orbit on a Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff is set for 4:33 p.m. EDT (2033 GMT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
You’ll be able to watch the SpaceX launch live here and on Space.com’s homepage, courtesy of NASA TV, beginning at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT). But NASA’s webcast won’t be the only game in town.
While the major news networks are sure to host their own special reports, read on for a guide at key webcasts and TV programming to get the most out of your SpaceX launch viewing. (We’ve bolded the dates and times.)
Full coverage: SpaceX’s historic Demo-2 astronaut launch explained
NASA webcast
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NASA’s webcast of the SpaceX launch will begin at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT), when the space agency will begin broadcasting live views of Crew Dragon and its Falcon 9 rocket atop Pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The main webcast will begin at 12:15 p.m. EDT (1615 GMT), when NASA will begin continuous coverage that will run through the Demo-2 mission’s arrival at the International Space Station on Thursday, May 28. Docking is set for 11:39 a.m. EDT (1539 GMT) Thursday.
You’ll be able to watch the broadcast on NASA’s website here, as well as on the NASA TV channel if your cable or satellite provider carries it. NASA will stream coverage of the launch online via YouTube, Twitter and other social media channels, and is holding a virtual #launchAmerica event with video tours and other features for the public to watch.
Here’s a full list of the NASA streams available:
- NASA Live
- NASA’s YouTube channel
- NASA App for iOS
- NASA App for Android
- YouTube
- Twitch.tv
- Roku
- Pluto TV
- Hulu
- DirectTV
- DISH Network
- Google Fiber
- NASA TV on Satellite Galaxy 13
And here’s a schedule for NASA’s webcast:
Wednesday, May 27 (all times in EDT, GMT-4)
- 12:15 p.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins (continues through docking
- 4:33 p.m. – Liftoff
- 5:22 p.m. – Crew Dragon phase burn
- 6:05 p.m. – Far-field manual flight test
- 7:05 p.m. – Astronaut downlink event from Crew Dragon
- 7:30 p.m. – Postlaunch news conference at Kennedy
Thursday, May 28
- 7:20 a.m. – Astronaut downlink event from Crew Dragon
- 11:39 a.m. – Docking
- 1:55 p.m. – Hatch Open
- 2:25 p.m. – Welcome ceremony
- 4:15 p.m. – Post-Arrival News Conference at Johnson
Friday, May 29
- 11:05 a.m. – Space Station crew news conference, with NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley
- 12:50 p.m. – SpaceX employee event and Class of 2020 Mosaic presentation, with NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy, Bob Behnken, and Doug Hurley
‘Launch America: Mission to Space Live’ National Geographic & ABC News
ABC News and the National Geographic Channel have teamed up for two days of coverage for SpaceX’s Demo-2 launch in what they’ve billed as “Launch America: Mission to Space Live.”
The action begins on launch day at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) with a live, two-hour broadcast of the launch by SpaceX and NASA, as well as interviews with NASA astronaut Christina Koch (who recently returned to Earth after nearly a year in space), retired astronaut Cady Coleman and others.
ABC News anchors Tom Llamas and Linsey Davis will lead the coverage from New York City, with commentary from correspondents Gio Genitez and Victor Oquendo. After Wednesday’s launch, the coverage will continue on Thursday, May 28, for docking of Crew Dragon at the International Space Station.
National Geographic has assembled a photo timeline of humans in space, which you can check out here.
You’ll be able to watch it live on ABC, the National Geographic Channel, as well as on Hulu, Roku, Sling TV, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube TV, Apple TV and Amazon’s news app on Fire devices and Fire TV. National Geographic’s simulcast will be carried on the NatGeo channel and NGTV app, as well as on demand for cable and satellite subscribers, as well as NatGeoTV.com.
News Source: space.com