Today marks the return of human spaceflight from US soil

When NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken blast off from Florida's Cape Canaveral in a SpaceX Crew Dragon Wednesday, it will be the first time Americans once again will launch from U.S. soil since 2011.

Yes, today is the day when Behnken and Hurley ride the Dragon for what NASA is calling its Demo-2 mission, a test mission to help prove the systems meet NASA’s requirements for certification to carry astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and back.

Today's launch will also mark the first time in history that a commercial aerospace company will carry humans into Earth's orbit, a milestone NASA and space fans have been looking forward to for nearly a decade. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he hopes this launch will inspire awe and uplift the general public during the ongoing coronavirus health crisis.

Extra precautions being taken

As for the COVID-19 pandemic, the two astronauts have been kept in strict quarantine, and extra precautions are being taken to keep everything clean. Extra safety measures have been taken in the control rooms, where NASA, SpaceX and military personnel gather to support the launch.

At each shift change, the control room will be changed to another so that when a new shift begins, the other room can be deep cleaned. And, just a few dozen members of the press will be able to attend the launch, NASA has said, and Kennedy Space Center will not welcome any visitors.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine and SpaceX chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell have also implored the public to follow the launch on television in order to prevent crowds of spectators from triggering a Covid 19 outbreak.

Launch America: Mission to Space Live

ABC News and the National Geographic Channel have teamed up for two days of coverage for SpaceX's Demo-2 launch in what they've billed as "Launch America: Mission to Space Live," according to Space.com.

The action begins Wednesday at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) with a live, two-hour broadcast of the launch by SpaceX and NASA. After Wednesday's launch, the coverage will continue on Thursday, May 28, for docking of Crew Dragon at the International Space Station.

Actually, you'll be able to watch it live on ABC, the National Geographic Channel, as well as on Hulu, Roku, Sling TV, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube TV, Apple TV, and Amazon's news app on Fire devices and Fire TV. National Geographic's simulcast will be carried on the NatGeo channel and NGTV app, as well as on-demand for cable and satellite subscribers, as well as NatGeoTV.com.

Schedule for NASA's webcast: Wednesday, May 27 (all times in EDT, GMT-4)
12:15 p.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins and continues through the docking
4:33 p.m. – Liftoff
5:22 p.m. – Crew Dragon phase burn
6:05 p.m. – Far-field manual flight test
7:05 p.m. – Astronaut downlink event from Crew Dragon
7:30 p.m. – Postlaunch news conference at Kennedy
Thursday, May 28
7:20 a.m. – Astronaut downlink event from Crew Dragon
11:39 a.m. – Docking
1:55 p.m. – Hatch Open
2:25 p.m. – Welcome ceremony
4:15 p.m. – Post-Arrival News Conference at Johnson