Prepare for the SpaceX return from ISS today. The Crew Dragon's Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be landing on Earth at at 2:42 pm EDT, August 2, and you can watch the live stream below.
The two NASA astronauts spent a little over two months on the International Space Station (ISS) – two months and three days to be exact – and the SpaceX capsule will return to us by landing in the waters off the coast of Florida.
It'll be a dramatic ending to America's first space mission from US soil in nearly a decade, when the Space Shuttle was retired (on this month back in 2011, actually). It'll also mark the conclusion of the first commercially-backed human space travel mission, which is a big deal for the future of affordable space travel.
Just as we covered the SpaceX launch, we'll be following NASA's Bob and Doug, as they make their way from Earth's orbit to their landing site. Here's how to watch and what you need to know.
Watch the SpaceX return video livestream
The SpaceX return will be live streaming on various video platforms, and it's up and running right now, well ahead of splashdown. The SpaceX YouTube livestream, for example, has the two astronauts preparing for their return to Earth as you read this.
The NASA astronauts actually undocked from ISS last night, August 1, and have been making their way from the space station to Earth for an August 2 return.
SpaceX return time: here's when it'll happen
The SpaceX return time is scheduled for 2:42pm EDT, meaning it's about to happen. Of course, you'll want to tune in early simply because you don't want to start the SpaceX live stream video right when they're splashing down into the water.
Worldwide, this means the SpaceX return time is 11:42am PDT (in California where SpaceX is located), 7:42pm BST, and the next morning 4:42am AEST. There will, of course, be video replays on the SpaceX YouTube channel, but it's always more exciting to watch these video streams when they're happening live.
What happens after today's SpaceX return
The SpaceX landing live stream ends the Demo-2 mission for the NASA astronauts, but there will be an intense review of all data for certification, according to NASA. The benefit of reusable rockets is not only that it makes space travel cheaper, but that you can better evaluate stress on everything involved in the launch.
In late September, barring any delays, the LC-39A launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, will host the next set of NASA astronauts to go to space: Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker, and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi. They will fly Dragon’s first six-month operational mission (Crew-1).
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