Discovery to capture SpaceX’s Crew Dragon launch
May 21, 2020
Discovery and Science Channel have announced their plans to document history in the making at the NASA launch of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule on May 27th, from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. The event marks the first crewed space mission to be launched into orbit from US soil since 2011.
Space Launch Live: America Returns to Space will take viewers inside the launch, set to simulcast live beginning at 2pm ET/11am PT on Discovery and Science Channel.
The multiplatform event will also feature some of the biggest names in entertainment with live appearances by global superstar Katy Perry, TV and Internet personality Adam Savage, former NASA engineer and YouTube star Mark Rober and other surprise celebrity guests. It will also include expert insight by former astronauts Mike Massimino and Karen Nyberg; active astronauts Jessica Meir and K. Megan McArthur and; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine as well as an interview with Astronaut Chris Cassidy from the International Space Station (ISS).
“Discovery and Science Channel have spent over a year documenting SpaceX’s race to become the first private company to launch American astronauts into space. Our live special offers both incredible access for the launch, and expert insight from SpaceX Founder and Chief Engineer Elon Musk and other leading aerospace professionals. In our two-hour documentary, we show the unbelievable engineering and scientific feats achieved by SpaceX in making such an historic launch happen,” said Scott Lewers, Executive Vice President of Multiplatform Programming, Factual & Head of Content, Science. “In these unprecedented times of isolation, we are excited to bring our viewers together to experience this event in a way they won’t see anywhere else, in the comfort of their own homes.”
The live, multiplatform event will take viewers along the mission to launch veteran astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The mission, known as Demo-2, will use a Falcon 9 rocket, also built by SpaceX, to propel it. Discovery and Science Channel coverage will feature commentary from astronauts, engineers and other special guests, as well as unprecedented coverage during launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The live broadcast and accompanying two-hour documentary are made in partnership with The Washington Post and staff writer Christian Davenport, whose depth of experience allowed him to gain inside access to key players – including a rare in-depth interview with SpaceX Founder and Chief Engineer Elon Musk – and captures their stories about this historic space achievement.