NASA Chief to Space Fans: Don’t Travel to Florida to Watch SpaceX’s 1st Astronaut Launch
“We are asking people to join us in this launch, but to do so from home.”
By Chelsea Gohd | Staff Writer

SPACE.COM – April 23, 2020 | As NASAtackles the coronavirus pandemic with the rest of the nation, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine urges and warns space enthusiasts to stay home next month during SpaceX’s historic first astronaut launch.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine and other agency leaders made the public plea Thursday (April 23) during an hour-long video conference on the agency’s response to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Bridenstine spoke candidly about the SpaceX’s upcoming Crew Dragon Demo-2 launch, which will be NASA’s first mission to launch astronauts into space from U.S. soil since the agency’s space shuttle program ended in 2011.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for an uncrewed in-flight abort test of a Crew Dragon spacecraft in January 2020. SpaceX’s first crewed launch is set for May 27.
(Image: © SpaceX)

“Yes, we are moving forward [with Demo-2],” Bridenstine said. “We are very excited about launching commercial crew.” The mission , he added, will restore NASA’s access to the International Space Station aboard American spacecraft, which “is a mission-essential function.”

But, Bridenstine said, the crowds of space fans that normally turn out for such a launch should stay at home due to social distancing concerns related to the coronavirus.

“We are asking people to join us in this launch, but to do so from home. We’re asking people not to travel to the Kennedy Space Center.”