When will the SpaceX Falcon 9 relaunch on Saturday night and can you see it in the UK?

The first privately-owned spacecraft carrying astronauts will reattempt a launch on Saturday night.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was due to take-off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Thursday, propelling two astronauts in a new Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. But the mission had to be aborted at the last minute due to bad weather and fears about lightening strikes.

Space X Falcon 9 will be launched from the John F. Kennedy Space Centre, Merritt Island, Florida tonight Picture: Wikimedia Commons
Space X Falcon 9 will be launched from the John F. Kennedy Space Centre, Merritt Island, Florida tonight Picture: Wikimedia Commons

The spacecraft and rocket is scheduled to make a second attempt on Saturday. The relaunch will take place in Florida at 3.22pm Eastern Time - which will be 8.22pm British Summer Time.

Thursday's launch should have been visible in Kent skies around 15 minutes after take-off. It is understood the sky will probably be too light for Kent stargazers to see the craft's first pass but a further orbit at around 10.15pm could be visible from a south west direction if skies remain clear. The event is also being webcast live and available to watch through the internet. More details on that here.

The last crewed orbital flight by NASA was in 2011, when its space shuttle Atlantis was launched for the last time before being retired to make way for new space programmes.

This will also make US company SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, the first private firm to see its product in space.

The astronauts will be driven to the launchpad in an electric car manufactured by Tesla.

Should Saturday's attempt also fail NASA say they will try for a third time on Sunday.

To read more about SpaceX's most recent spectacle after a chain of lights appeared in the sky, click here.

For more events and activities to enjoy with the family visit www.mykentfamily.co.uk

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