Updated on Oct. 6: SpaceX successfully launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on the Crew-5 mission for NASA. You can watch their trip live through docking on Oct. 6 here.
SpaceX is sending four people to the International Space Station (ISS), including the first Native American woman in space and the first Russian cosmonaut to take a seat on a commercial spacecraft. The company’s Crew-5 mission successfully lifted off at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) on Wednesday, and NASA is livestreaming continuous views that you can watch here at Space.com, via NASA Television. You can also receive updates on the NASA website, app and social media.
Photo Gallery: SpaceX’s Crew-5 astronaut launch in amazing images
More: SpaceX’s Crew-5 astronaut mission: Live updates
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Dragon capsule Endurance carrying NASA astronauts Nicole Mann (who will become the first Native American woman in space as a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in northern California) and Josh Cassada, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina.
NASA Television (and Space.com) will carry coverage of all the flight events, including docking at the ISS. A list of the key events is below. Note that some of these times may change due to operational requirements.
Thursday, Oct. 6
4:57 p.m. EDT (2057 GMT) — Docking to the International Space Station
6:42 p.m. EDT (2242 GMT) — Hatch opening
8:15 p.m. EDT (0015 GMT Friday, Oct. 7) — Welcome ceremony
Previous webcasts
Here’s a look at the Crew-5 webcasts NASA held in the run up to the launch and docking.
Monday, Oct. 3: Crew-5 Launch Readiness Review
7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT) — Prelaunch news teleconference at Kennedy Space Center in Florida (no earlier than one hour after completion of the launch readiness review). The news conference will include the following participants:
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy Space Center
- Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, Johnson Space Center
- Emily Nelson, chief flight director, Johnson Space Center
- Kirt Costello, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
- Junichi Sakai, manager, International Space Station, JAXA
- Sergei Krikalev, executive director, Human Space Flight Programs, Roscosmos
- Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron
Wednesday, Oct. 5: SpaceX Crew-5 launch
Oct. 5 was launch day for the Crew-5 astronauts. The mission lifted off on time from Pad 39A, soaring into a stunning blue sky. See a video above. Here’s a schedule of how it went.
8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) — NASA TV launch coverage begins.
12 p.m. EDT (1630 GMT) — Launch of Crew-5.
Before launching to space, the astronauts left NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong operations center at the Kennedy Space Center and rode to the launch pad in Tesla electric cars. Above is a view of their walkout.
The astronauts honoroed Albert Einstein’s “happiest thought” of floating in weightlessness by using a small doll of the famed scientist as their “freefall indicator.”
About 90 minutes after the launch, NASA held a post-launch press conference to discuss the flight. You can see a recording of that above.
1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT) — Post-launch news conference on NASA TV with the following participants:
- Kathy Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Kennedy Space Center
- Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station, Johnson Space Center
- Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX
- Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president and director general, JAXA’s Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate
- Sergei Krikalev, executive director, Human Space Flight Programs, Roscosmos
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