Where Will the Station Be at Launch Time?

International Space Station in low-Earth orbit — In this image from October 2018, the fully completed station continues its mission to conduct microgravity research and experiments — ranging from human physiology to astronomy aboard humanity’s only orbital laboratory. Photo credit: NASA

NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission is targeted to launch today at 3:22 p.m. EDT. At that time, the International Space Station will be flying at an altitude of 259 statute miles over the Atlantic off the coast of North Carolina.

The Demo-2 mission will serve as an end-to-end flight test to validate the SpaceX crew transportation system, from launch to docking to splashdown. It is the final flight test for the system to be certified for regular crew flights to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.