InSight Livestream: When, Where To Watch NASA Launch Its Next Mars Lander

NASA is set to launch InSight, a new robotic lander mission, to learn more about the interior of the red planet, and the launch will be one true spectacle for space enthusiasts across the globe.

The lander will be taking off on a United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V-401 rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. And, according to a statement from NASA, the two-hour window for the launch opens in the pre-dawn hours of May 5, just around 4:05 a.m. PDT or 7:05 a.m. EDT.

While the lander will begin a six and a half month-long journey – around 485 million kilometers – to the red planet with this launch, it is worth noting this interplanetary mission, officially dubbed "Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport," will be the first one from the United States West Coast.

Before this, all such NASA missions launched from Florida and flew over the Atlantic to get an advantage of additional speed from our planet’s rotation. However, in this case, the payload is light and the rocket is powerful enough to fly southward over Pacific and take the whole thing into orbit 13 minutes after lift-off.

"For those Southern Californians who are interested in rockets or space exploration, or have insomnia, we hope to put on a great show this Saturday,” Tom Hoffman, InSight project manager from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said in the statement.

If all goes according to the agency’s plan, InSight and its two tiny communication cubsats "Wall-E" and "Eva," will reach Martian neighborhood in November.

That said, viewers should also note bad weather conditions, particularly fog, might create a little trouble for the space agency and affect a clear view of ATLAS V launch vehicle.

"We are anticipating this fog to be very shallow, about 200-600 feet above the pad," Kristina Williams from Air Force's 30th Space Wing, which manages launches from the Californian base, said during a pre-launch briefing.

As the Verge reports, the Space Wing says the rocket might pull-off the launch and soar through the fog, but in that situation, viewers might not be able to get a clear view unless they are standing far away from the base (check the sites to see the launch here). However, if the sky is clear, the launch could be seen from Santa Maria to San Diego.

Livestream Details

There’s also a simpler, cozier way to see the launch of InSight – Livestream. NASA TV has been streaming the agency’s highly anticipated launches live and this one will also be no exception. The coverage is set to start at 6:30 a.m. ET and you can find the live feed from the channel below. If the launch gets delayed due to bad weather or any other situation at the last minute, the next backup date is Sunday. NASA has multiple opportunities to put InSight into the Martian orbit between May 5 and June 8.

“I’ve been to several rocket launches, but it is a whole different vibe when there is something you've been working on for years sitting in the nose cone waiting to get hurled beyond our atmosphere,” Bruce Banerdt, InSight principal investigator at JPL, said. “But as exciting as launch day will be, it’s just a first step in a journey that should tell us not only why Mars formed the way it did, but how planets take shape in general."