Day of SpaceX's Historic Launch Has Arrived

Wednesday could mark the return of human spaceflight to US soil, and a big first
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 27, 2020 2:06 AM CDT
It's a Huge Day for SpaceX
The SpaceX Falcon 9, with the Dragon capsule on top of the rocket, is raised onto Launch Pad 39-A Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at Cape Canaveral, Fla.   (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

On Wednesday, Elon Musk's SpaceX will carry out a mission called Demo-2: an attempt to launch two astronauts to the International Space Station. If it succeeds, it will be the first time humans have been carried into orbit by a commercial aerospace company, CNN reports. It also marks a long-awaited return of human spaceflight to American soil, which hasn't happened since 2011. NASA says the launch will take place despite the coronavirus pandemic because it is necessary to keep the ISS fully staffed; the NASA astronauts involved have been strictly quarantined in advance of the launch. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:33pm Eastern Time from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Space.com has a helpful list of all the ways you can watch from home. (More SpaceX stories.)

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