Live coverage of the countdown and launch of the first SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with the Bangabandhu 1 communications satellite. SpaceX’s live video coverage begins at approximately 3:59 p.m. EDT (1959 GMT) Friday. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
Atlas 5
Commander of first piloted Starliner test flight steps down from mission
Christopher Ferguson, commander of the final space shuttle flight and now a Boeing executive, has stepped down as commander of the first piloted test flight of the company’s troubled CST-100 Starliner commercial spacecraft, he and Boeing announced Wednesday. He has been replaced by NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore.
Falcon 9
After redesigns, the finish line is in sight for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship
Five-and-a-half years ago, SpaceX founder Elon Musk revealed SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, a sleek-looking human-rated spaceship with 3D-printed engines, a roomy stylized interior and touchscreen controls. Now SpaceX’s first ship to ferry astronauts — with numerous design changes introduced since 2014 — is about to leave the company’s factory for final testing before launching early next year.
Falcon 9