What’s happening:
- As American astronauts launch from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly 10 years, ABC News and National Geographic will join forces to present a two-hour, global live streaming and television event covering NASA and SpaceX’s mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, May 27.
- Launch America: Mission to Space Live kicks off at 3:00 pm EDT on ABC News Live and National Geographic.
- Live coverage continues on Thursday, May 28, when the spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS.
- Through both ABC News and National Geographic, audiences will enjoy in-depth, comprehensive analysis and coverage in real time and across multiple platforms.
- Should the launch be postponed prior to the live event, ABC News Live and National Geographic will air the special on the new launch date, which is determined by NASA and SpaceX and is slated for Saturday, May 30, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. EDT.
About the upcoming launch:
- The mission will send astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to space aboard the Crew Dragon capsule, a first for a spacecraft designed by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX.
- If successful, it will be a historic achievement for SpaceX as it would become the first privately owned company to take humans to the ISS and meet NASA’s certification requirements.
About the special:
- Launch America: Mission to Space Live will feature exclusive interviews with:
- ABC will be providing coverage of the launch from their headquarters in New York with additional reporting from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral:
- Tom Llamas and Linsey Davis will report from New York
- Gio Benitez and Victor Oquendo will report from Cape Canaveral
- Chief meteorologist Ginger Zee, reports from her home in New York
- National Geographic contributing writer Nadia Drake will report on the launch live from Kennedy Space Center.
What they’re saying:
- Marc Burstein, senior executive producer of Special Events, ABC News: “It’s very exciting to see Americans launching into space again. It’s an uplifting story about the American spirit and resolve, heroism, innovation and determination.”
- Geoff Daniels, executive vice president, Global Unscripted Entertainment, National Geographic: “National Geographic has such a rich tradition of supporting and celebrating exploration that pushes the boundaries of human achievement, so we couldn’t be more excited to partner with ABC News to provide exclusive access to the country’s top experts while delivering the most up-to-the-minute breaking coverage of this milestone event. This is the perfect moment to remind viewers everywhere about the power of the human spirit and how science is leading the way forward.”
Prepare for Liftoff:
- In the days leading up to the launch, National Geographic will put the mission in context with a photo timeline of humans in space, in email newsletters, and as a story on its massively popular Instagram account.
- The website will also provide readers with a brief, mission-preview story, which features an embedded livestream for tuning in to the launch.
- Fans looking for even more space themed content will want to check out National Geographic’s library of space programming on Disney+:
Sign up for Disney+ or the Disney Streaming Bundle (Disney+, ESPN+, and ad-supported Hulu) now