SpaceX is gearing up to launch a newly built Cargo Dragon spacecraft on a supply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, November 26.
As usual, SpaceX will live stream the early stages of the flight showing its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket powering the Cargo Dragon spacecraft to orbit on its first mission to the ISS.
Check below for details on how to watch SpaceX’s 26th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-26) mission get underway.
The event involves the first flight of this particular spacecraft (C211), which is SpaceX’s third cargo vehicle of its second-generation design.
The first version of the new design made its debut flight to the space station in December 2020. SpaceX continues to use that one and the second Dragon 2 cargo capsule for supply missions to the ISS, with Saturday’s flight expanding the fleet to three vehicles.
The newer version is able to dock autonomously with the orbital outpost, an improvement on its predecessor, which had to be captured by one of the station’s robotic arms as part of the docking procedure.
SpaceX also has four Crew Dragon spacecraft and plans to build one more. Crewed missions to the ISS started in 2020 and SpaceX has so far performed six astronaut flights to the station.
How to watch
Following launch delays earlier in the week, SpaceX is currently targeting 2:20 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 26, for liftoff from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
If for any reason Saturday’s launch is unable to proceed, a backup launch opportunity is penciled in for 1:58 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 27.
Updates on flight readiness will be shared on SpaceX’s Twitter account.
You can watch the mission via the player at the top of this page, or by visiting SpaceX’s YouTube channel, which will carry the same feed.
Multiple cameras on the ground and on the Falcon 9 rocket itself will offer real-time footage of the ascent, as well as views of the first-stage separation and spacecraft deployment.
Coverage of the first-stage booster performing an upright landing on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean will also be part of the live stream.
The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock with the space station at around 7:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, November 27,.
