It’s attempt two for SpaceX and Nasa this Saturday, and once again it will be visible over the UK near the horizon – if it all goes ahead this time.
SpaceX, the company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has teamed up with NASA to make history, becoming the first private firm to fly two astronauts into space.
An earlier launch attempt on Wednesday was scrapped due to fears of a lightning strike less than 17 minutes before take off.
This mission, Demo-2, will allow the US to send humans into space again, and is a demonstration mission to show SpaceX’s ability to ferry astronauts to the space station and back safely.
It’s the final step required by SpaceX’s astronaut carrier, the Crew Dragon, to get certified by NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to take off from launchpad 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida with astronauts Robert Behnken, 49, and Douglas Hurley, 53, at 3:22pm EDT (8:22pm UK time). The journey to space will take around 10 minutes and the mission is expected to last somewhere between one and four months.
Onboard the Crew Dragon space station will be the Class of 2020 mosaic that will be flown to the International Space Station.
There is currently a 40% chance of favourable weather conditions for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 launch this Saturday.
The spaceship is small and it will be faint to see, but this time round it will be best seen from the south and the midlands with a clear southern horizon.
The first pass of the spacecraft will be shortly after takeoff but it will be too light in the UK to see. The second pass will be at around 10:15pm and will be visible to anyone facing south-west with a clear view of the horizon, weather permitting.
You can register to watch the take-off live on the NASA website here. The link also features additional resources to learn more about the mission.
