From liftoff to landing.
Days after four "non-astronauts" made history by launching into space, the SpaceX Inspiration4 crew is set to land Saturday night. The crew includes tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, who served as mission commander; Hayley Arceneaux, a health care worker and cancer survivor; Dr. Sian Proctor, the fourth Black female astronaut; and Chris Sembroski, a data engineer who won his seat on board the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket. They launched at 8:02 p.m. Sept. 15 from Kennedy Space Center.
The group's space trip is tentatively set to end with a splashdown at 7:06 p.m. EST in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida, though SpaceX did not say exactly where splashdown would be.
The crew of Inspiration4, the first private orbital space mission, spent Friday conducting medical research, talking to pediatric cancer patients via Zoom, giving a live video update on YouTube, playing the ukulele and chatting with movie star Tom Cruise.
The Inspiration4 mission is being paid for by Isaacman, who's promoting the flight as a massive fundraising effort for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Visuals to see:The best visuals from SpaceX's historic all-civilian mission to space
Inspiration4 crew takes off:Space travel first: All-civilian mission to blast off
The goal is to raise $200 million, and Isaacman has pledged the first $100 million. Arceneaux, 29, was treated for childhood cancer at St. Jude and now works there as a physician assistant. She was chosen to represent the hospital on Inspiration4, and has served as the mission's medical officer.
Proctor, 51, a finalist to become a NASA astronaut in 2009, said the mission is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. As the fourth Black female astronaut, she said she hopes to inspire a new generation of women of color to think about "reaching for the stars" by serving as mission pilot.
Sembroski, a 42-year-old data engineer from Everett, Washington, was chosen from among people who made donations to St. Jude. He said being part of the mission has been inspirational for him and his family, and that he hopes it inspires others.
Here's a guide on how to watch the SpaceX landing splashdown for Inspiration4 from your phone, tablet, computer, social media platform or TV.
SpaceX will stream SpaceX landing, Inspiration4 splashdown
Where: SpaceX channel on YouTube
When: 7 p.m. EST Saturday
About the stream: After three days on-orbit, Dragon and the Inspiration4 crew – the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit – will return to Earth on Sept. 18, splashing down about 7:06 p.m. EST in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.
How to watch SpaceX landing on Twitter
Before the Inspiration4 launch, SpaceX hosted many Q&As with the crew on Twitter. While in space, they kept that going — the crew chatted with patients of St. Jude's and gave a live on-orbit update about their multi-day journey aboard the Dragon spacecraft Friday evening.
SpaceX will broadcast the landing livestream on Twitter as well, beginning at 7 p.m. EST Saturday. Visit twitter.com/spacex.
How to watch SpaceX landing from your phone
When and where: Full coverage of the landing, including a live webcast with live tweets and updates, kicks off about 6 p.m. Saturday at floridatoday.com/space (you can type this on your browser on your phone) and will feature in-depth coverage. Ask our space team reporter Emre Kelly questions and strike up a conversation. You also can watch coverage via the FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play. FLORIDA TODAY is part of the USA TODAY Network.
How to watch SpaceX landing from your tablet or computer
When and where: At 7 p.m. EST Saturday, SpaceX's website will carry the YouTube livestream, spacex.com/launches/index.html
When and where: About 6 p.m. EST Saturday, FLORIDA TODAY's space team will host live coverage at floridatoday.com/space.
How to watch SpaceX landing from Roku, Amazon Fire
For viewers who have a Roku box or Amazon Fire TV Stick, select the YouTube app, search for the SpaceX channel and click on the Inspiration4 splashdown video. Livestreaming begins at 7 p.m. EST Saturday.
Will SpaceX landing livestream from Facebook?
No. SpaceX does not have an official Facebook page. Although there is a Facebook page for Inspiration4, the mission was not livestreamed on the social media platform. The page, which had more than 14,000 followers as of Friday night, reposted links to the launch coverage, St. Jude chat and orbit update via YouTube.
