Space is busy today. Honestly, it feels like every other week we’re looking at a Falcon 9 poking a hole in the clouds, but today is actually a bit of a weird one. If you’re looking for NASA launch today live coverage, you’re likely seeing two very different things happening at once.
First, we have a SpaceX Falcon 9 scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is the Starlink 6-98 mission. It’s a workhorse flight—basically the cosmic version of a mail truck—carrying 29 "V2 Mini" satellites to expand the internet grid. Liftoff is targeted for 1:08 p.m. EST.
But there’s a much more dramatic story unfolding at the exact same time.
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While the Falcon 9 is going up, four astronauts are getting ready to come down in what is essentially a historic medical evacuation. It’s the first time in the 25-year history of the International Space Station (ISS) that a crew is being pulled out early for health reasons.
What’s Actually Happening with the Crew Return?
NASA and SpaceX are working on a tight timeline to bring the Crew-11 team home. This isn't a planned rotation. Usually, these missions are scripted down to the second months in advance. Not this time.
A "medical issue" with one of the astronauts—NASA hasn't said who, citing privacy—has forced a "controlled expedited return." That’s NASA-speak for "we need to get them to a hospital on Earth, but we aren't in a 'fire in the cabin' level of panic."
The Schedule for Today, January 14, 2026
If you want to watch this live, here is the timeline. Keep in mind, space timing is always "pendulum-style"—it swings based on the wind.
- 3:00 p.m. EST: NASA+ starts live coverage of the hatch closure. This is when Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov say their goodbyes and seal themselves inside the Dragon Endeavour.
- 5:05 p.m. EST: This is the big moment. Undocking. The capsule physically detaches from the Harmony module.
- Late Night / Early Morning (Jan 15): The deorbit burn happens around 2:51 a.m. EST, followed by a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast at 3:41 a.m. EST.
Why the SpaceX Starlink Launch Still Matters
It’s easy to ignore the "routine" launches when there's a medical drama in orbit, but the Starlink 6-98 mission is part of a massive 2026 push. SpaceX is currently launching at a rate of roughly once every 2.5 days. Think about that. That’s insane compared to a decade ago.
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Today's launch from Pad 40 is about more than just better Wi-Fi for hikers in the middle of nowhere. It’s about the sheer density of the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment. We are putting so much hardware up there that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just gave SpaceX the "green light" to expand to 15,000 satellites.
If you're watching the NASA launch today live stream for the Starlink flight, look for the first-stage booster landing. It’s scheduled to land on a droneship in the Atlantic. Even though we’ve seen it a hundred times, watching a skyscraper fall from space and land on a moving boat never really gets old.
The Artemis II Shadow
Everything happening today is a prelude to the "big one." NASA is currently in the final stages of prepping Artemis II. That’s the mission that will finally put humans back around the Moon.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket—the giant orange one—is actually scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39B just a few days from now, on January 17. The medical evacuation of Crew-11 has everyone asking: Will this delay Artemis? NASA says no. The two programs use different hardware and different teams. But the space community is holding its breath. If the medical issue on the ISS reveals something new about how the human body reacts to long-term radiation or microgravity, it could change the health protocols for the Moon mission.
Realities of Space Health
We often think of astronauts as superhuman. They’re not. They get sick. They get kidney stones. They have vision problems because fluids shift into their heads.
The fact that NASA is pulling a crew home early is a reality check. Space is a harsh, radiation-filled vacuum that tries to kill you every single day. This "expedited return" is a test of NASA’s emergency systems. It’s one thing to have a plan for a medical emergency; it’s another to actually execute it while the world is watching the livestream.
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Where to Watch the Action
You've got options, but skip the unofficial "re-streamers" who just loop old footage to get views.
- NASA+: This is the agency's new streaming platform. It’s free, has no ads, and is the cleanest way to watch.
- SpaceX YouTube/X: If you want the technical "cool factor" and more focus on the Starlink launch, go here.
- Amazon Prime Video: NASA actually has a partnership now where they broadcast major events like this directly on Prime.
Actionable Next Steps:
If you're planning to follow the return of Crew-11, download the NASA app and set a notification for "Undocking." The 5:05 p.m. EST window is the most visually interesting part of the day, as you'll see the station's robotic cameras track the Dragon capsule as it backs away into the darkness. For the Starlink launch, tune in at 12:50 p.m. EST—about 15 minutes before T-zero—to catch the final "Go/No-Go" poll.