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CAP CANAVERAL, Florida – SpaceX will launch a crew of four astronauts today (November 15) for its first operational flight for NASA and you will be able to watch the historic flight online.
The flight is scheduled to take off from Pad 39A here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 7:27 p.m. EST (0027 GMT November 16) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Crew Dragon capsule with four Crew-1 astronaut members strapped inside. .
You can watch the launch live here and on the Space.com homepage, courtesy of SpaceX, starting at 3:15 p.m. EST (7:15 p.m. GMT). You can also watch the launch directly from SpaceX here approximately 15 minutes before takeoff.
The mission, which kicks off after a 24-hour delay due to poor weather conditions in the Falcon 9’s sea landing zone, is the 21st launch this year for SpaceX and its work rocket.
Live Updates: SpaceX Astronaut Crew-1 launches for NASA
Related: Meet Crew-1 astronauts flying on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon
Watch live today!
(Image credit: Soichi Noguci / JAXA / NASA)
Login to Space.com for live coverage of the SpaceX Crew-1 mission launch. The NASA webcast begins at 3:15 p.m. EST (7:15 p.m. GMT).
Today’s highly anticipated flight is SpaceX’s first operational mission of its Dragon crew capsule, called Crew-1. The spacecraft is bound for the International Space Station, carrying three NASA astronauts and a Japanese space flight with it.
The Crew-1 mission is commanded by NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, along with another NASA astronaut Victor glover as a pilot. NASA astronaut Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi will also be on board. Crew-1 will be Glover’s first space flight and a return to orbit for his teammates. The mission will last approximately six months.
Today’s flight will mark the second in two days from the Space Coast – if time cooperates. Friday evening (November 13), a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket detonated with spy satellite for the United States National Reconnaissance Office from the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Station. This launch was to be followed by the launch of the SpaceX crew, a little over 24 hours later. However, the teams decided to withdraw due to bad weather at the rocket landing site.
It will also mark the 98th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket and the 65th recovery of the first stage. SpaceX’s “Just Read the Instructions” (JRTI) drone is positioned in the Atlantic Ocean, awaiting its planned recovery attempt. About nine minutes after takeoff, the first stage of the two-stage rocket is expected to land on the deck of the huge ship.
Related: SpaceX’s Crew-1 astronaut mission in photos
Astronauts Crew-1 arrived at Kennedy Space Center Sunday (November 8) and spent the week making last minute preparations before their flight, prompting a dress rehearsal on Thursday (November 12). During this test, the crew practiced dressing, getting to the mat and then strapping themselves into the vehicle.
On Friday, November 13, NASA and SpaceX officially gave the green light for takeoff during a launch readiness review. The only concern was the weather. After careful consideration, the teams decided to postpone the launch for 24 hours due to bad weather conditions to reach the landing site.
SpaceX collects its boosters in two ways: by landing them here in Cape Town or by landing them on a floating platform at sea. When NASA awarded SpaceX a contract for the launch crew, the agency asked the manufacturer of rockets to use new vehicles for each launch. However, NASA recently changed its mind and gave SpaceX the go-ahead to reuse both the first stage booster and the Dragon capsule. As such, SpaceX says it plans to reflyer the booster used in this mission – a shiny new booster designated by SpaceX as B1061 – during the next crew mission, Crew-2, currently scheduled for March 30.
Related: SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts will take their first steps on a NASA operational mission
Just Read The Instructions left Port Canaveral on Thursday (November 12) bound for a designated recovery area where it will wait for the first stage of the rocket to return to Earth on Sunday and land gently on the ship’s deck. However, the rough seas from the remnants of Tropical Storm Eta forced the team to withdraw for 24 hours to ensure the ship could make the trip to the recovery area in time and the booster could land safely. .
SpaceX has also deployed its fleet of Dragon salvage ships. GO Quest, GO Searcher, and GO Navigator are all at different positions in Florida in case something goes wrong during launch and an in-flight abandonment is required.
Officials from the 45th Weather Squadron said conditions here in Cape Town were a bit worse on Sunday than at the initial launch. Meteorologists are now predicting a 50% chance of favorable conditions for take off. The main source of concern is cumulus clouds, flight in precipitation as well as an electric field ruler, which means the launch itself could trigger lightning.
If the mission fails to take off on Sunday, the next attempt will be Wednesday (November 18).
Editor’s Note: You can watch the SpaceX Crew-1 launch for NASA live here on Space.com Sunday at 3:15 p.m. EST (7:15 p.m. GMT).
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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