--- title: "How to Watch SpaceX’s Historic All-Civilian Space Launch Tonight" description: "Going Live SpaceX is about to launch four average Joes on a gratis trip to space, marking the first time an all-civilian crew has ever done so — and we get to watch it live from the comfort of our own homes. SpaceX’s five-hour launch window opens at 5:02 pm tonight. The Falcon 9 rocket […]" date: "2021-09-15" modified: "2021-09-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/watch-spacex-all-civilian-space-launch" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "crew dragon" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # How to Watch SpaceX’s Historic All-Civilian Space Launch Tonight ![Here's how you can catch SpaceX's coverage of its first all-civilian launch into space tonight from the comfort of your own home.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Going Live SpaceX is about to launch [four average Joes]() on a trip to space, marking the first time an all-civilian crew has ever done so — and we get to watch it live from the comfort of our own homes. SpaceX's five-hour launch window opens at 5:02 pm tonight. The Falcon 9 rocket boosting the space company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is [already on the launchpad]() at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ready for countdown. But if you want to get in on the action early, you can catch SpaceX's own coverage livestreamed on YouTube, which kicks off at 3:45 pm EDT: https://youtu.be/3pv01sSq44w ## Harder Faster While other private space companies, like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, have managed to [fly their respective billionaire CEOs]() into space earlier this summer, SpaceX's Inspiration4 crew is going much, much further. The plan is to circle the Earth for three days at an altitude of over 350 miles, well beyond the International Space Station's orbit. In comparison, Virgin Galactic CEO Richard Branson [barely made it]() into Earth's upper atmosphere in July and spent only a couple of minutes feeling the effects of microgravity before the company's space plane fell back down to Earth. Similarly, Bezos may have [squeezed past the internationally agreed upon boundary to space]() — but his experience was fleeting as well. In other words, it's a legitimately exciting moment in the history of private space travel. Even without extensive training to become a NASA astronaut, a group of four everyday people will soon be circling the Earth. **READ MORE:** [Watch SpaceX launch the first all-civilian Inspiration4 mission to space live]() \[*TechCrunch*\] **More on the launch:** *[There's a Morse Code Message Hidden in Photo of SpaceX Tourists]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()