The Soyuz spacecraft will be blasting off into space today — 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 six-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 (times in AEDT). Blast off starts at 8:26am AEDT (5:26pm 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 7:30am AEDT (4:30pm EDT). Then, come back at 1:30pm AEDT (10:30pm EDT) to see the crew dock, and after 3:00pm AEDT (12:00am EDT) to watch live as the hatch opens to the crew’s new home.
Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream
7:30am NASA TV Launch Coverage Begins
7:40am NASA TV: Crew pre-launch activities played (B-roll)
7:41am Pad service structure components lowered
7:42am Clamshell gantry service towers retracted
7:49am Suit leak checks begin; descent module testing complete
7:52am Emergency escape system armed
8:11am Suit leak checks complete; escape system to auto
8:16am Gyros in flight readiness and recorders activated
8:19am Pre-launch operations complete
8:20am Launch countdown operations to auto; vehicle ready
8:21am Commander’s controls activated
8:22am Combustion chamber nitrogen purge
8:23am ISS FLIES OVER THE BAIKONUR COSMODROME
8:23am Propellant drainback
8:23am Booster propellant tank pressurization
8:25am Ground propellant feed terminated
8:25am Vehicle to internal power
8:26am First umbilical tower separates
Auto sequence start
8:26am Ground umbilical to third stage disconnected
8:26am Second umbilical tower separates
8:26am Launch command issued
Engine Start Sequence Begins
8:26am Engine turbopumps at flight speed
8:26am Engines at maximum thrust
8:26am Launch of SOYUZ TMA-20M to the ISS
1:30pm Docking Coverage Begins on NASA TV
2:11pm Docking to the ISS
3:30pm Hatch opening coverage begins on NASA TV
3:55pm Hatch opens
Top image: A previous Soyuz launch, carrying Expedition 32 / NASA, Carla Cioffi