Space Station Tonight In The Sky
View The Space Station
Space Station Tonight 2019
Space Station Tonight 2019
Location Of Space Station Tonight

The core element of the Chinese Space Station launched to Earth orbit tonight (April 28), lifting off at 11:23 p.m. EDT (0323 GMT on April 29) atop a heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket from the. International Space Station visible again in Irish skies tonight Another chance to see the brightest object in the sky, which travels at 27,600km/h Tue, Mar 31, 2020, 13:38 Updated: Wed, Apr 1.

Countdown

All Times Approximate

Spot the Station Choose your state, then city to see when the International Space Station can be seen crossing the sky. Bookmark this page as your one-stop planning resource for astronomy events.
2 days ago At 10:15 p.m., a pass lasting for more than 6 minutes will take the Space Station from the west to the northeast, along the way reaching nearly halfway.

Hr/Min/Sec	Event
00:38:00	SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
00:35:00	RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading underway
00:35:00	1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading underway
00:16:00	2nd stage LOX loading underway
00:07:00	Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
00:01:00	Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
00:01:00	Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
00:00:45	SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
00:00:03	Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00	Falcon 9 liftoff

Launch, Landing, and Deployment

All Times Approximate

Hr/Min/Sec	Event
00:01:12	Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:31	1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:35	1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:43	2nd stage engine starts
00:03:16	Fairing deployment
00:06:42	1st stage entry burn complete
00:08:28	1st stage landing
00:08:42	2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:54:38	2nd stage engine restarts
00:54:42	2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
00:56:53	Tyvak-0130 deploys
01:00:23	Capella Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite deploys
01:38:10	Starlink satellites deploy

© Provided by Space The SBIRS GEO-5 satellite enters a vacuum chamber at Lockheed Martin's Sunnyvale, California during prelaunch testing.

Update for 12:40 p.m. EDT: United Launch Alliance has postponed Monday's launch attempt to no earlier than Tuesday (May 18) at 1:31 p.m. EDT (1731 GMT), after engineers were unable to troubleshoot a problem with the rocket's liquid oxygen supply system in time.

The United Launch Alliance will launch an Atlas V rocket carrying a new missile warning satellite for the U.S. Space Force today (May 17) and you can watch it live here. Liftoff is at 1:42 p.m. EDT (1742 GMT).

The Atlas V will launch the Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit 5 satellite (SBIRS GEO Flight 5) into orbit from Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. ULA's launch webcast will begin about 20 minutes before liftoff. You can also watch directly from ULA on YouTube here and get live launch updates here.

From ULA:

Mission

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 421 rocket will launch the Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (SBIRS GEO) Flight 5 mission for the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Following liftoff, the Atlas V rocket will deliver the fifth SBIRS satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The mission also includes two multimanifest satellite vehicles.

Space Station Tonight In The Sky

SBIRS GEO-5 consists of a network of GEO satellites and HEO payloads that provide persistent, infrared surveillance – as well as a sophisticated ground control system that manages that data – to support missile warning, missile defense, battlespace awareness and technical intelligence. Equipped with scanning and staring infrared sensors, the SBIRS spacecraft continue to serve as the tip of the spear for global missile warning as ballistic missile threats proliferate around the world.

SBIRS GEO-5, the fifth SBIRS spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin, but the first military space satellite built on the company’s modernized LM 2100 Combat Bus – an enhanced space vehicle that provides even greater resiliency and cyber-hardening against growing threats, as well as improved spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics.

SMC’s Multi Manifest Office, in partnership with the United States Air Force Academy, will be flying the EZ-3 and -4 flight systems on the SBIRS GEO-5 mission. This multi-manifest mission will support the deployment of two 12U Multi-Manifest Satellite Vehicles, TDO-3 and -4, prior to the deployment of the SBIRS GEO-5 satellite. A multi-manifest mission set allows more capability to be placed on orbit, ultimately providing more critical capabilities to the warfighter.

Launch Vehicle

Payload Fairing (PLF)

The SBIRS satellite is encapsulated in the 13.7-ft (4-m) diameter extra extended payload fairing (XEPF). The XEPF is a bisector (twopiece shell) fairing consisting of aluminum skin/ stringer construction with vertical split-line longerons. The vehicle’s height with the XEPF is approximately 194 ft (59.1 m).

Centaur

The Centaur second stage is 10 ft (3 m) in diameter and 41.5 ft (12.6 m) long. Its propellant tanks are constructed of pressure-stabilized, corrosion resistant stainless steel. Centaur is a liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen- (cryogenic-) fueled vehicle. It uses a single RL10C-1-1 engine producing 23,825 lb (106 kilo-Newtons) of thrust. The cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of helium-purged insulation blankets, radiation shields, and spray-on foam insulation (SOFI). The Centaur forward adapter (CFA) provides the structural mountings for the fault-tolerant avionics system and the structural and electronic interfaces with the spacecraft.

Booster

The Atlas V booster is 12.5 ft (3.81 m) in diameter and 106.5 ft (32.5 m) long. The booster’s tanks are structurally stable and constructed of isogrid aluminum barrels, spun-formed aluminum domes and intertank skirts. Atlas booster propulsion is provided by the RD-180 engine system (a single engine with two thrust chambers). The RD-180 burns RP-1 (Rocket Propellant-1 or highly purified kerosene) and liquid oxygen, and delivers 860,200 lb (3.83 mega-Newtons) of thrust at sea level. Two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) generate the additional power required at liftoff, each providing 348,500 lb (158,076 kg) of thrust. The Atlas V booster is controlled by the Centaur avionics system which provides guidance, flight control and vehicle sequencing functions during the booster and Centaur phases of flight.

Watch live Saturday: NASA sounding rocket launch to make colorful cloud show over eastern US

After a week of delays, NASA will again attempt to launch a Black Brant XII sounding rocket from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on Saturday (May 15), and you can watch it live online or in person.

Observers in the eastern U.S. may have an opportunity to see a colorful light show following the rocket's liftoff, weather permitting. The sounding rocket will release nontoxic barium vapor that will form two visible, green-violet clouds in the evening sky. The clouds will remain visible for about 30 seconds, according to NASA, but they will be more difficult to see earlier in the launch window while the twilight sky is still bright.

Liftoff is scheduled to occur during a 40-minute launch window that opens at 8:10 p.m. EDT (0010 May 16 GMT). You can watch the mission live in the window above beginning about 20 minutes before liftoff, courtesy of