CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX is preparing to send another crew of astronauts to the International Space Station this week and while thousands are expected to gather on Florida’s Space Coast to watch the launch in person, you have the option to watch it live from the comfort of your own home.
[WATCH LIVE: News 6 coverage of Crew-2 launch | CHOOSE YOUR VIEW: News 6 reporters, NASA, SpaceX]
The private space company plans to launch two NASA astronauts, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet from Kennedy Space Center in a Crew Dragon capsule aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch, now scheduled for 5:49 a.m. Friday, will mark the beginning of the sixth-month Crew-2 mission, SpaceX’s company’s second fully operational ISS flight for NASA and third overall with humans aboard.
When to watch
Pre-launch
You can start soaking in the beauty of the Space Coast as early as right now with our live cameras at ClickOrlando.com/spaceview, though the real action doesn’t start until Friday morning.
The launch is slated for 5:49 a.m. on April 23, so you’ll want to tune in to News 6 and ClickOrlando.com at that time to make sure you don’t miss liftoff. Of course, there are a few other must-watch opportunities for space fans leading up to liftoff.
[MORE: Weather conditions to improve for Crew-2 astronaut launch Thursday | The Weekly: Previewing the SpaceX Crew-2 mission]
NASA-TV’s continuous coverage begins at 2 a.m. Friday and can be viewed here.
News 6 reporters will also be covering the launch and all the events leading up to it, including the crew’s walk out of the Operations and Checkout building then the drive to launchpad 39A and details about the significance of the mission. You can watch that overnight coverage live here.
Launch & landing
If the rocket is going to go up Friday, it will need to happen at 5:49 a.m., since the launch window is instantaneous. If it goes up as planned at 5:49 a.m., you will be able to watch the rocket booster land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean about 8 minutes later. If the launch is scrubbed, coverage for the day will wrap up shortly after and SpaceX will try again, likely Monday morning.
Post-launch
NASA-TV will continue its coverage after the rocket goes up and begins its journey to the space station.
News 6 reporters Erik von Ancken, James Sparvero and space expert Emilee Speck will provide further analysis about the launch following a successful liftoff.
According to NASA’s website, the Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock with the space station early Saturday. You can watch the docking live as it happens on ClickOrlando.com.
How to watch
Choose your view
As for how you can watch the launch, the options are endless. You can choose your view of the launch without leaving your living room, thanks to ClickOrlando.com/spaceview where you can watch the launch from any of the following angles:
- News 6′s Port Canaveral Live Cam
- News 6′s Beach Live Cam
- Orlando Health Live Cam
- NASA-TV’s livestream
- Kennedy Space Center’s livestream of launchpad 39A
- Space View Park in Titusville
NOTE: More streaming options may be added to this list, so be sure to check back later for any updates to our coverage plan.
Watch News 6
If you prefer to watch the launch live on television, you can tune in to News 6 to watch our launch coverage live on the Morning News starting at 4:30 a.m. Friday. If you don’t have access to a TV or just prefer to watch the coverage on your mobile or other smart device, you can tune in to The Morning News here, also starting at 4:30 a.m.
More ClickOrlando.com coverage
News 6 space expert Emilee Speck will also have a story with live updates leading up to, during and after the launch that you can find on the homepage of ClickOrlando.com Friday morning. You will also be able to watch the launch live at the top of that story.
How are you planning to watch the launch? Let us know in the comments.
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