Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Space
  3. News

How to watch NASA launch a cargo ship to the ISS today

Georgina Torbet
By

Today, Saturday February 19, NASA and Northrop Grumman will launch a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This will be the company’s 17th ISS resupply mission, following one in August last year, and the launch will take place from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.

NASA Live: Official Stream of NASA TV

The launch of the rocket along with the capture of the cargo ship at the ISS will be livestreamed by NASA, and we have the details on how you can watch along at home.

Recommended Videos

What to expect from the launch

Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket on Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.
Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket on Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. Northrop Grumman

The mission will be launched with a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket. The Cygnus spacecraft, which is uncrewed, will carry over 8,300 pounds of supplies and scientific research to the ISS. The research carried by this mission includes experiments into a drug for breast cancer and prostate cancer, an investigation into a new type of lithium-ion battery, and an experiment into plant growth.

Related

“We are expanding the suite of value-added capabilities that we offer through our proven Cygnus program,” said Steve Krein, vice president of civil and commercial space at Northrop Grumman in a statement. “The addition of reboost services to Cygnus’ capabilities provides NASA with an even greater tool to advance space science and exploration, whether that’s on the International Space Station, the moon or beyond.”

How to watch the launch

The launch of the cargo craft will be livestreamed on NASA TV. To watch the launch, you can either head to NASA’s website or use the video embedded near the top of this page.

Coverage of the launch begins at 12:15 p.m. ET (9:15 a.m. PT) on Saturday, February 19. The launch itself is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. ET (9:40 a.m. PT).

The craft will then travel over the weekend and is scheduled to arrive at the ISS early Monday morning. Coverage of the rendezvous and capture is scheduled to begin at 3 a.m. ET (midnight PT) on Monday, February 21, with coverage of the installation of the craft to the ISS scheduled for 6 a.m. ET (3 a.m. PT) that morning.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet
Space Writer
Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…
How to watch the delayed ISS maintenance spacewalk this week
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli (center) assists astronauts Andreas Mogensen (left) from ESA (European Space Agency) and Loral O’Hara (right) from NASA as they try on their spacesuits and test the suits’ components aboard the International Space Station’s Quest airlock in preparation for an upcoming spacewalk.

This Wednesday will see two astronauts head out from the International Space Station (ISS) on a spacewalk to work on station maintenance. NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli will be working together on a six-and-a-half hour mission to replace a bearing and remove a piece of equipment from the exterior of the station.

If you're curious to see what a day's maintenance work looks like when you live in space, then NASA will be streaming the entire spacewalk live on its NASA TV channel, and we have the details on how to watch below.
What to expect from the spacewalk
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli (center) assists astronauts Andreas Mogensen (left) from the European Space Agency (ESA) and Loral O’Hara from NASA as they try on their spacesuits and test the suits’ components in the International Space Station’s Quest airlock in preparation for an upcoming spacewalk. NASA

Read more
How to watch the Orionid meteor shower tonight, in person or online
Orionid meteors appear every year when Earth travels through an area of space littered with debris from Halley’s Comet.

The Orionid meteor shower will peak tonight, Saturday October 21, so if you're lucky enough to have clear skies where you are, then you should head out after dark and look up at the sky for the chance to see this famous event.

Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through a cloud of debris, and pieces of that debris pass through the planet's atmosphere and burn up, giving the appearance of bright trails of light in the sky. In this case, the debris the Earth will be passing through is left from Halley's Comet, one of the only known comets that regularly passes by Earth and wthat can be seen with the naked eye.

Read more
Space station leak prompts NASA to rework spacewalk schedule
The International Space Station.

An external leak at the International Space Station (ISS) has prompted NASA to change the date of an upcoming spacewalk and postpone another until later this year.

The issue involves a coolant leak from a backup radiator attached to the outside of Russia’s Nauka module. It was spotted at the start of last week but has now stopped.

Read more