SpaceX readies for launch this Saturday, May 19, 2012

If all goes according to plan, tomorrow, Saturday, May 19th, SpaceX will become the first commercial space flight company in history to head for the International Space Station. You can watch online, live, at SpaceX.com starting at 1:15 AM Pacific / 4:15 AM Eastern / 08:15 UTC. You can also follow SpaceX founder and CEO @elonmusk on Twitter. He'll live-tweet from mission control during launch.

Veteran space journalist Miles O'Brien covered the story in a recent PBS NewsHour segment.

And below, Miles and NewsHour host Hari Sreenivasan talk about the details of the mission, the engineering challenges and the other spaceflight companies vying for a chance at delivering cargo and people to low-Earth orbit.

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

MORE: aviation • elon musk • international space station • ISS • miles obrien • NASA • News • Science • Space • space flight • spaceflight • spacex

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/ Stefan Jones

I’m trying not to get emotionally invested in this launch, to avoid disappointment if something goes wrong and because, well, it’s not exactly new territory technologically.

But still, SQUEEEE!, private space launch!
- niktemadur
  
  Hell yeah, if there are no setbacks, this is a HUGE step forward and genuine cause for celebration, pretty pleeeeeze!
- Culturedropout
  
  Right there with ya’ man. I just wish I could afford to stay up that long past my bedtime to watch it live. How dare they schedule this at a time when any self-respecting geek will just have gone to bed?
  
  Elon, buddy – best of luck in the world on this. I’ve wanted to see this moment since I was a child reading Robert Heinlein novels in the 70′s. Kick some ass!
http://twitter.com/GideonTJones Gideon Jones

That was oddly depressing. I was expecting the opposite.
http://twitter.com/GideonTJones Gideon Jones

That was oddly depressing. I was expecting the opposite.
- Petzl
  
  Do sunny days also depress you?
- niktemadur
  
  The only way I’m able to interpret that, is in a Gil Scott-Heron, “Whitey On The Moon” kind of way.
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zlcHUxlOpc
http://noctilucent-studios.blogspot.com/ Noctilucent Studios

Can’t freaking wait!!!!!!!
penguinchris

There’s a real Ron Burgundy vibe from the people hosting the feed right now.

edit: Ha, Elon Musk made the same comment on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/elonmusk/status/203763928063410176
- penguinchris
  
  And, wow… intense & suspenseful couple seconds when ignition failed. Oh well. I’m up all night anyway.
HahTse

Is there a date for the next try yet?
- http://twitter.com/thatgirlcrystal Crystal Coleman
  
  The next launch attempt is schedule for Tuesday, May 22nd at 3:44am with a second attempt available May 23rd.
  - HahTse
    
    Which timezone?