Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with the Formosat 5 Earth observation satellite for Taiwan’s National Space Organization. SpaceX’s live video coverage begins at approximately 2:35 p.m. EDT (1835 GMT; 11:35 a.m. PDT). Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. Watch on a mobile device.
Mission Reports
Station astronaut calls private spaceflight ‘next breakthrough’
Space station astronaut Reid Wiseman, preparing to return to Earth this weekend after 165 days in orbit, said commercial spaceflight represents the “next breakthrough” in aerospace technology, and that he hopes Virgin Galactic can ultimately turn that dream into reality despite the fatal crash of the company’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane.
