The Soyuz spacecraft will be blasting off into space this evening—and pulling a crew of new astronauts up to the International Space Station along with it. Watch it happen live right here.
The new crew members of Expedition 48 will include NASA’s Jeff Williams (who is set to take over command of the station from NASA’s Tim Kopra in June), along with Oleg Skripochka, and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos. The new crew will be joining Kopra, ESA’s Tim Peake, and Roscosmos’ Yuri Malenchenko who are already all living in the ISS. This launch will also start the clock ticking on a new space record: By the end of his 6-month stint at the ISS, Williams will have beat out Scott Kelly to become the American who has spent the most time in space.
The whole launch schedule is included below for you to follow along. Blast off starts at 5:26 pm (EDT), but there’s a whole host of pre-launch checks that you can watch if you tune into the broadcast earlier, when it kicks off at 4:30 pm (EDT). Then, come back at 10:30 pm to see the crew dock, and after midnight to watch live as the hatch opens to the crew’s new home.
https://www.ustream.tv/embed/recorded/6540154?v=3&wmode=direct
4:30 p.m. NASA TV Launch Coverage Begins
4:40 p.m. NASA TV: Crew pre-launch activities played (B-roll)
4:41 p.m. Pad service structure components lowered
4:42 p.m. Clamshell gantry service towers retracted
4:49 p.m. Suit leak checks begin; descent module testing complete
4:52 p.m. Emergency escape system armed
5:11 p.m. Suit leak checks complete; escape system to auto
5:16 p.m. Gyros in flight readiness and recorders activated
5:19 p.m. Pre-launch operations complete
5:20 p.m. Launch countdown operations to auto; vehicle ready
5:21 p.m. Commander’s controls activated
5:22 p.m. Combustion chamber nitrogen purge
5:23 p.m. ISS FLIES OVER THE BAIKONUR COSMODROME
5:23 p.m. Propellant drainback
5:23 p.m. Booster propellant tank pressurization
5:25 p.m. Ground propellant feed terminated
5:25 p.m. Vehicle to internal power
5:26 p.m. First umbilical tower separates
Auto sequence start
5:26 p.m. Ground umbilical to third stage disconnected
5:26 p.m. Second umbilical tower separates
5:26 p.m. Launch command issued
Engine Start Sequence Begins
5:26 p.m. Engine turbopumps at flight speed
5:26 p.m. Engines at maximum thrust
5:26 p.m. Launch of SOYUZ TMA-20M to the ISS
10:30 p.m. Docking Coverage Begins on NASA TV
11:11 p.m. Docking to the ISS
MARCH 19
12:30 a.m. Hatch opening coverage begins on NASA TV
12:55 a.m. Hatch opens
