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SpaceX Dragon capsule prepares to leave ISS: How to watch live

By Brittany Roston/

A month after docking with the International Space Station, SpaceX's Dragon capsule is preparing to detach itself from the ISS and make the relatively short trip back to Earth. The Dragon capsule was used for SpaceX's most recent ISS cargo run on behalf of NASA, supplying astronauts in orbit around the planet with the supplies they need to survive and the latest scientific investigations.

Dragon is SpaceX's advanced spacecraft capable of shuttling both humans and cargo to space. The latest mission involving the capsule was a cargo run, which involves sending new supplies to the International Space Station, then loading things like completed scientific missions for return to Earth. After a few weeks, the cargo ship makes its return.

As it tends to do, NASA will broadcast video coverage of the cargo ship as it departs from the ISS. According to the space agency, Dragon launched with more than 4,600lbs of experiments and supplies for the station; it'll bring back other scientific investigations, including Anti-Atrophy tests, Ring Sheared Drop, and Genes in Space-8.

Assuming everything goes according to plan, the SpaceX Dragon capsule will depart from the ISS tomorrow, September 30. The undocking process will start at 9:01 AM ET, with the live coverage of the event kicking off at 8:45 AM ET. The public will be able to watch the coverage and part of Dragon's return via NASA TV across various platforms, including YouTube.

NASA TV won't broadcast Dragon's splashdown in the ocean; this process will involve deploying a parachute, with splashdown occurring around 11 PM ET near the Florida coast. Anyone who wants to monitor the status of the capsule will be able to get updates on NASA's ISS blog. You can keep an eye on SpaceX's Twitter account, as well, for the private space company's own coverage.

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