How to watch live stream of SpaceX’s second attempt to launch NASA astronauts into space on Sunday

• SpaceX is set to launch NASA astronauts into space on 12:52 am (IST) May 31 after their first attempt to launch was thwarted by bad weather.
• This will be the first time in nearly a decade that NASA astronauts will be headed to the International Space Station (ISS) from US soil.
• You catch the live stream of the SpaceX launch on NASA TV, SpaceX or the ‘Watch Party’ with the Museum of Flight.

Elon Musk’s space venture, SpaceX, was set to launch NASA astronauts into space in wee hours of the morning on Thursday, Indian Standard Time (IST), before adverse weather conditions brought it to a grinding halt.

Their second attempt of Falcon 9’s launch of Crew Dragon Demo-2 Mission scheduled to take place at 12:52 am (IST) on Sunday, May 31. In case of another snag, there’s another window open at 12:30 am (IST) on Monday, June 1.

Here’s how you catch the launch live:

NASA TV


The official home of all things space in the US, NASA TV will be covering the SpaceX and DM-2 Crew Dragon Mission launch live on its channel from the Kennedy Space Center in Hawthorne and the Johnson Space Center in California.

The coverage will kick off at 8:30 pm (IST) on Saturday, May 30 followed by the actual launch at 12:52 am (IST) on May 31.

“During this time, a ‘clean feed’ of launch and docking operation will be available on the media channel,” said the US space agency. They’re also be hosting a post-launch news conference at around 4:00 am (IST).

After the launch, NASA TV will continue following the SpaceX rocket as it makes its way to the International Space Station, including the welcoming ceremony scheduled for 2:00 am on Monday if all goes well.

The Museum of Flight ‘Watch Party’

The US Museum of Flight will also be streaming its own ‘Watch Paty’ hosted by adjust curator for space history, Geoff Nunn. He will be joined by retired astronaut Wendy Lawrence and senior spaceflight propulsion engineer Dieter M. Zube as they follow the live updates.

The live stream will kick off at 12:00 am (IST) on their YouTube channel.

SpaceX’s live coverage
SpaceX is also planning on hosting the live stream of the Crew Dargon’s Demo-2 Mission on its own site. The coverage will begin about four hours before liftoff starting with the SpaceX launch director verifying the propellant load till the moment of liftoff.

History in the making
This is a historic moment for the US as they have been reliant on Russia to carry their astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) since July 2011 — when the last US space shuttle was launched. At the time, the Bush administration claimed that the Space Shuttle Program was no longer financially viable.

If this works out, this will be the first time in nearly a decade that the US will have launched its own astronauts into space. Going forward it will be able will to harness this ability to launch is human spaceflight mission to the moon — Artemis — scheduled for 2024.

This is also a milestone for Elon Musk as this is the first time that the space company he founded in 2002 — 18 years ago — will have a launch a rocket with actual people on board.

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