SpaceX is counting down to launch its first astronaut flight of 2024 and you can watch it take off live online, but you need to know where and when to look.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA during the Crew-8 mission. The launch is currently scheduled for Saturday (March 2) at 11:16 PM EST (0416 March 3 GMT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but exactly when the mission launches will depend on weather and the launch vehicle’s readiness.
Read more: SpaceX Crew-8 astronaut mission: live updates
Crew-8 will launch NASA astronauts NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barrett, Jeannette Epps and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin on a six-month mission to the ISS. The space quartet will deliver its colleagues from SpaceX’s Crew-7 mission. Here’s when they launch and how long the flight will last.
What time will SpaceX launch the Crew-8 astronauts?
Currently, SpaceX is focusing Saturday March 2, for the launch of its Crew-8 astronaut mission for NASA. The launch is set for an immediate launch window at 11:16 PM EST (0416 GMT).
An “instant window” means SpaceX only needs to launch at the exact target time to reach the ISS on time, unlike some NASA shuttle missions that had a few minutes of wait time to work with.
Previously, SpaceX targeted a Crew-8 launch just after midnight on March 1, with the US Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicting an 85% chance of good weather during launch. According to the forecast, strong winds at takeoff and the possibility of flying through precipitation or rain are the only concerns.
But NASA and SpaceX postponed the launch until late Saturday due to unfavorable offshore weather.
“Joint teams selected the updated launch option due to adverse weather conditions forecast for Friday, March 1, in offshore areas along the Dragon spacecraft flight path,” NASA wrote in an update in early February. The east coast has been observed and is expected to continue through Saturday morning. In the unlikely event that Dragon’s launch or flight is aborted, wind and wave conditions should remain within acceptable conditions for the safe recovery of the crew and spacecraft.”
NASA and SpaceX initially wanted to launch the Crew-8 mission on February 22, but postponed it until February 28 (and ultimately March 1) to allow additional time following SpaceX’s successful February 18 launch of a private lunar lander from Intuitive Machines from the same cushion.
Related: ‘It’s time for a brawl:’ NASA chief stresses safety for Crew-8 launch
Can I watch SpaceX’s Crew-8 astronaut launch online?
Yes, you can watch the SpaceX Crew-8 launch live online, and you have a few options.
NASA will offer a free livestream online through its NASA TV YouTube channel and NASA+ streaming service, as well as its NASA TV broadcast service. The webcast actually starts late March 2 at 7:15 PM EST (0015 March 3 GMT) and walk through spacecraft separation.
About 2 hours after launchNASA is expected to hold a press conference after the launch to discuss the launch results. That briefing will also be broadcast live via NASA TV and NASA+.
SpaceX will offer its own live webcast of the Crew-8 launch @SpaceX account on X (formerly Twitter), starting one hour before takeoff March 2 at 10:16 PM EST (0316 GMT).
Space.com will simulate NASA’s Crew-8 launch livestream on our VideoFromSpace YouTube channel, begins March 2 at 7:15 PM EST. You can also see that livestream at the top of this page.
Docking coverage
If SpaceX successfully launches the Crew-8 astronauts on March 2, there will be less than 24 hours to reach the ISS and you will be able to watch it live.
NASA will provide a livestream of the start of SpaceX’s Crew-8 docking operations Sunday, March 3 at 11:30 AM EST (1630 GMT)according to a NASA schedule.
If all goes well, the Crew-8 Dragon space capsule Endeavor will dock itself with the ISS 2:10 PM EST (1910 GMT) on March 2parking in a forward-facing berth on the station’s US-built Harmony module.
Who are the Crew-8 astronauts?
While SpaceX originally designed its Dragon crew capsule to carry up to seven astronauts, the company has only flown up to four people at a time in its crewed vehicles. The Crew-8 mission follows that pattern. You can view detailed biographies of the Crew-8 astronauts in our Introducing the Crew-8 Astronauts Guidebut here’s a quick summary.
Crew-8 is commanded by NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, 42, a U.S. Navy test pilot who joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 2017. This will be his first space flight in his career.
Veteran NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, 64, is a physician-turned-astronaut who serves as a Crew-8 pilot and began his astronaut work in 2000 after serving as a flight surgeon since 1992. Unlike his crewmates, Barrett has two space flights to his credit: a six-month expedition on the ISS in 2009 and the 13-day STS-133 shuttle flight in 2011, which marked the final voyage of NASA’s space shuttle Discovery.
NASA astronaut Jeannette Epps, 53, is a Crew-8 mission specialist making her first space flight. Epps is a physicist and aerospace engineer who joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 2009 after working for Ford Motor Co. and the Central Intelligence Agency had worked.
The crew is completed by Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, 41, from the Roscosmos space agency. Grebenkin joined the Roscosmos cosmonaut corps in 2018 after flying as a pilot for the Russian Air Force. He has degrees in engineering, maintenance and repair of aircraft radio navigation systems, and in radio communications, broadcasting and television.
Related: SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts eager to launch to ISS on March 1: ‘It’ll take you by surprise, but we’re ready’
How long will SpaceX’s Crew-8 mission last?
While SpaceX’s entire Crew-8 mission for NASA will last six months (from launch to landing), the actual launch will be over in about 13 minutes.
Crew-8 marks the fifth flight of SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule Endeavor, which the company used to launch its first-ever crewed flight for NASA in May 2020 – Demo-2. 2 and Crew-6 are the others) and the private Ax-1 mission for Axiom Space.
SpaceX has not listed any previous flights for the Falcon 9 first stage booster for Crew-8. The rocket is expected to return to Earth and land at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at the nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for later reuse.
What if SpaceX can’t launch the Crew-8 mission?
Although the weather looked promising for SpaceX’s Crew-8 launch in the wee hours of March 1, SpaceX had to work through the first available backup data for the mission.
“Of course we have two backup options,” Steve Stitch, NASA’s Commercial Crew program manager, said in a Feb. 25 briefing. ‘One more in the evening March 1 at 11:41 PM Eastern and a day later another, March 2 at 11:16 PM Eastern.”
The weather outlook deteriorated slightly for a possible launch on March 1 at 11:41 PM EST (0441 GMT), dropping to a 65% chance of good weather (down from 85%) for that attempt, according to the 45th Weather Squadron.
The weather forecast deteriorates with a 48-hour delay and drops to a 40% chance of good weather.
If SpaceX can’t launch on March 2, it will have at least one backup option on March 3.
The company could try to launch Crew-8 Sunday, March 3 at 10:53 PM EST (0352 on March 4 GMT)SpaceX wrote in a mission statement.
Editor’s Note: You can watch SpaceX’s Crew-8 launch to the ISS on this page starting February 29 at 8:00 PM EST (1:00 AM March 1 GMT). This story was updated at 1 a.m. EST to reflect the new launch day for the SpaceX Crew-8 mission.