Watch live @ 9:24 am ET: Russian ‘Nauka’ module docks at space station, ,

Editor’s note: Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket successfully launched the Monolith satellite for the U.S. Space Force today (July 29) at 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT). Read the full story here.

A new Russian module will dock with the International Space Station on Thursday (July 29), and you can watch it live here.

The Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM), also known as Nauka, is expected to arrive at the orbiting laboratory at approximately 9:24 a.m. EDT (1324 GMT).

Nauka launched to orbit last Wednesday (July 21), lifting off on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Hitching a ride with Nauka is the new European Robotic Arm, or ERA, a 16-foot-long (5 meters) two-handed robot that will be able to move freely outside of the orbiting lab.

A live broadcast of the docking will begin at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT), and you can watch it live in the window above, courtesy of NASA TV.

Related: Skywatcher spots Russia’s Nauka headed to space station (photo)

NASA will provide live coverage of the automated docking of the uncrewed Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) to the International Space Station Thursday, July 29, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Named Nauka, the Russian word for science, the 43-foot long, 23-ton module launched on July 21 and will serve as a new science facility, docking port, and spacewalk airlock for future operations.

To follow along live, tune into NASA Television, as well as the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

Boeing’s Starliner astronaut taxi is scheduled to attempt its second uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station on July 30.

The mission, called Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2), will lift off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, on Friday (July 30) at 2:53 p.m. EDT (1853 GMT).

A news conference with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is scheduled for Thursday (July 29) at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT), and you can watch it live in the window above, courtesy of NASA TV. (Until the live stream begins, you can watch a video of the Starliner capsule being mated to the Atlas V rocket during launch preparations at Cape Canaveral.)

Boeing Starliner Orbital Flight Test 2: Live updates

NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch, launch, and docking activities for the agency’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station. Scheduled to launch at 2:53 p.m. EDT Friday, July 30, OFT-2 is the second uncrewed flight for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. About 31 minutes after launch, Starliner will reach its preliminary orbit. It is scheduled to dock to the space station at 3:06 p.m. Saturday, July 31. Prelaunch activities, launch, and docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

The spacecraft will carry more than 400 pounds of NASA cargo and crew supplies to the space station and return to Earth with more than 550 pounds of cargo, including reusable Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) tanks that provide breathable air to station crew members.

OFT-2 will demonstrate the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner spacecraft and Atlas V rocket from launch to docking to a return to Earth in the desert of the western United States. The uncrewed mission will provide valuable data toward NASA certifying Boeing’s crew transportation system for regular flights with astronauts to and from the space station.

The deadline has passed for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch. More information about media accreditation is available by emailing: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.

NASA has updated its coronavirus (COVID-19) policies to remain consistent with new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. Credentialed media will receive additional details from the media operations team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA’s Boeing OFT-2 mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):

Thursday, July 29

10:30 a.m. – NASA Administrator Media and Social Briefing on NASA TV, with the following participants:

NASA Administrator Bill NelsonNASA Deputy Administrator Pam MelroyNASA Associate Administrator Bob CabanaJanet Petro, director, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

11 a.m. – Crew and Science Briefing on NASA TV, with the following participants:

Barry “Butch” Wilmore, NASA astronaut, Crew Flight TestE. Michael “Mike” Fincke, NASA astronaut, Crew Flight TestNicole Mann, NASA astronaut, Crew Flight TestChris Ferguson, director, Starliner Mission Operations and Integration/Crew SystemsJennifer Buchli, deputy chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program

Friday, July 30

2 p.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins. NASA TV will have continuous coverage through Starliner orbital insertion.

4 p.m. (approximately) – Postlaunch news conference on NASA TV:

NASA Administrator Bill NelsonNASA Deputy Administrator Pam MelroyKathryn Lueders, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASAJim Chilton, senior vice president, Boeing Space and LaunchTory Bruno, president and CEO, United Launch AllianceReid Wiseman, chief, Astronaut Office

Saturday, July 31

12 p.m. – NASA TV rendezvous and docking coverage begins

3:06 p.m. (approximately) – Docking

Sunday, Aug. 1

9:15 a.m. – NASA TV hatch opening and welcoming remarks coverage begins

9:35 a.m. (approximately) – Hatch opening and welcoming remarks about 10:35 a.m.

NASA TV Launch Coverage

NASA TV live coverage will begin at 2 p.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Find out what the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station are up to by tuning in to the “ISS Live” broadcast. Hear conversations between the crew and mission controllers on Earth and watch them work inside the U.S. segment of the orbiting laboratory. When the crew is off duty, you can enjoy live views of Earth from Space. You can watch and listen in the window below, courtesy of NASA.

“Live video from the International Space Station includes internal views when the crew is on-duty and Earth views at other times. The video is accompanied by audio of conversations between the crew and Mission Control. This video is only available when the space station is in contact with the ground. During ‘loss of signal’ periods, viewers will see a blue screen.

“Since the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, it experiences a sunrise or a sunset about every 45 minutes. When the station is in darkness, external camera video may appear black, but can sometimes provide spectacular views of lightning or city lights below.”

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

The post Watch live @ 9:24 am ET: Russian ‘Nauka’ module docks at space station, , appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.