How to watch SpaceX's Crew-6 astronaut launch live online
A new SpaceX crewed mission is about to take flight.
Crew-6 will launch to the International Space Station (ISS) no sooner than Feb. 27, after a one-day delay to assure readiness of the flight hardware. The four astronauts will ride to the orbital lab aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and dock with the ISS less than a day later.
Onboard is the first United Arab Emirates astronaut to perform a long-duration mission (Sultan Al-Neyadi), NASA astronauts Warren "Woody" Hoburg and Stephen Bowen, and Andrey Fedyaev of Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Here's how you can follow the latest news for the mission online or sign up for a virtual launch experience accessible from anywhere in the world with good Internet.
Related: SpaceX, NASA delay Crew-6 astronaut launch to Feb. 27
Feb. 17 onwards: NASA Crew-6 virtual activities
Feb. 17 and following: Registration is open now for NASA Crew-6 virtual activities. "The virtual guest program for this launch includes curated launch resources, timely mission updates, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch," NASA says. You can get more details here.
Friday, Feb. 24
10:30 p.m. EST / 0330 GMT Feb. 25 (approximately): Prelaunch news teleconference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Coverage is available on the agency's website, here at Space.com and NASA social media channels as well, such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, Daily Motion and NASA's App. with the following participants:
Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
Dana Weigel, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, Johnson
Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson
Kirt Costello, chief scientist, International Space Station Program, Johnson
Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Program, SpaceX
Salem AlMarri, director general, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
Mike McAleenan, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron
Feb. 26: Launch coverage begins
Feb. 26, 10:30 p.m. EST (0330 GMT Feb. 26): The launch broadcast will begin on NASA TV and will be available here at Space.com as well. Coverage is available on the agency's website, here at Space.com and NASA social media channels as well, such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, Daily Motion and NASA's App.
Feb. 27: Launch
Feb. 27, 1:45 a.m. EST (0645 GMT): Crew-6 will launch from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four astronauts will ride into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This launch time is subject to weather and technical factors and may change.
Feb. 27, 3:45 a.m. EST / 0845 GMT (approximately): Postlaunch news conference on NASA TV with the following participants:
Ken Bowersox, deputy associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy
Dana Weigel, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, Johnson
Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
Salem AlMarri, director general, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
Feb. 28: Docking
Roughly 12 a.m. EST (0500 GMT): NASA coverage is expected to begin of the docking, hatch opening and welcome ceremony. The agency has not yet released the schedule or confirmed coverage. If coverage is available, it will run on the agency's website and social media channels as well, such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, Daily Motion and NASA's App.
This story was updated at 9 a.m. EST Feb. 21 with new details about the NASA events. This story was updated again at 9:20 a.m. EST Feb. 22 reflecting the announced delay to the Crew-6 launch and associated events.
Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
