OSIRIS-REx is on the launch pad, ready for the big day

The OSIRIS-REx mission passed its flight readiness review yesterday, clearing the way for the spacecraft to launch on Thursday, September 8. That news came out just before the catastrophic loss of a SpaceX rocket on a launch pad just 2 kilometers away, but NASA has assured the public that the aftermath of the Falcon 9 explosion has had no effect on OSIRIS-REx's continuing preparations. Hurricane Hermine has passed by Florida, too, so for now, September 8 remains the anticipated launch date.

There are numerous televised briefings and talks about OSIRIS-REx planned for next week, which you can watch on NASA TV. Here is the schedule, with times in PDT / EDT / UTC. Check my launch timeline for more detail about what to expect on launch day.

September 6:

• 10:00 PDT / 13:00 EDT / 17:00 UTC: Prelaunch mission briefing
• 11:00 PDT / 14:00 EDT / 18:00 UTC: OSIRIS-REx mission science briefing

September 7:

• 9:00 PDT / 12:00 EDT / 16:00 UTC: OSIRIS-REx Talk
• 10:00 PDT / 13:00 EDT / 17:00 UTC: Uncovering the Secrets of Asteroids

September 8:

• 13:30 PDT / 16:30 EDT / 20:30 UTC: Launch coverage begins
• 16:05 PDT / 19:05 EDT / 23:05 UTC: Two-hour launch window opens
• 2 hours after launch: Post-launch press conference

Here is a little photo album of the last month's worth of OSIRIS-REx launch preparations, taken from NASA Kennedy's Flickr page.