Alpha mission: live launch and docking - final timings

Date: Fri, Apr 23, 2021 | 05:15 - 10:30 GMT | 07:15 - 12:30 CEST

Type: ESA TV Live

Format: 16:9

Owing to forecast high winds over the Kennedy Space Centre launch pad, today's Crew2 launch is postponed until tomorrow.

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is returning to the International Space Station on his second spaceflight. The mission, which is called Alpha, will see the first European to launch on a US spacecraft in over a decade. Thomas is flying on the Crew Dragon, alongside NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide.

A clean feed of launch operations from the Kennedy Space Center will be made available to European broadcasters on 23 April from 07:15-12:30 CEST, with lift-off scheduled for 11:49 CEST.

The flight to orbit will take less than ten minutes, with just under 24 hours spent catching up with the International Space Station, for a docking with the Harmony module planned for 11:10 CEST on 24 April 2021. A clean feed of docking, ingress and crew welcome will be broadcast on 24 April from 10:15-14:15 CEST on the same channel.

To follow the live launch programme (23 April 10:30-12:30 CEST) and docking programme (24 April 10:30-1505 CEST) jointly produced by ESA and the French space agency CNES, visit the ESA Web TV page: https://esawebtv.esa.int

For B-roll footage of Thomas Pesquet’s training, visit: https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos/2020/12/Thomas_Pesquet_Alpha_mission_training

Additional B-roll footage showing the latest from Cape Canaveral is available here:
https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos/2021/04/Thomas_Pesquet_Alpha_Mission_B-Rolls

Highlights will be posted as soon as possible on the ESA TV ftp server:
Server: tvdownload.esa.int
Login: esa
Password: ftp4esa

More information at: https://www.esa.int/MissionAlpha

Satellite Parameters:

Eutelsat 7B @ 7degE
Transponder B6 Channel 6-06 (6 MHz)
D/link freq: 11,155.33 MHz Polarisation Y/vertical
Signal: MPEG4/H264, 4:2:0, SR: 4330 Ms/s FEC: 3/4 DR: >15 Mbps
Modulation: DVBS2/8PSK, Pilot: On, Roll off: 0.2 Clear
Audio 1: Intl mono
Audio 2: Intl mono

Please note that the docking/ingress feed on 24 April will be on Channel 6-09 at D/link freq 11,173.33 MHz Pol Y

For any inquiries regarding transmission rights, satellite or FTP reception please contact the ESA TV producer: Chris Courtenay Taylor at chrisct@worldwidegroup.global / tel +44 7774 275 951