NASA will be live covering the launch of an Orbital Cygnus resupply mission to the ISS, taking you to the launch pad with 360-degree video.
For the first time, the agency will broadcast live 360-degree video of the rocket launch from its YouTube channel NASATelevision today, April 18, at 6:00 p.m.
NASA ,and United Launch Alliance (responsible for building the Atlas V rocket that will carry Cygnus to the space station) are placing four ultra-wide-angle (fisheye) cameras on the platform, about 100 meters from the rocket. Nearby, a computer protected inside a blast box will send images in near real time. As with any 360-degree video, you can watch it on your computer and play with your mouse pointer to see a panoramic view. Of course, if you watch it with a VR Headset, you will feel like you are actually at the launch zone.
The broadcast will take place around 11:01 a.m. EDT, which is around 6:01 p.m. Eastern Time, 10 minutes before the Atlas V launch begins. The video will be about a minute behind, as the computer has to process the photos.
