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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Science
Shivali Best

SpaceX rocket won't be visible from UK tonight - but International Space Station will

While many Brits were hoping to see a SpaceX rocket over the UK tonight, unfortunately their hopes have been dashed, following a cancelled launch.

NASA and SpaceX were scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket tonight with two astronauts on board.

However, poor weather conditions forced the space firms to cancel the historic launch.

Before you get too disappointed, there's some good news.

While Falcon 9 won't be visible tonight, the International Space Station (ISS) will! The ISS is set to fly over the UK at 22:57 BST tonight.

While this isn't the most sociable hour, there's any important reason why.

Spot the Station explained: “All sightings will occur within a few hours before or after sunrise or sunset. This is the optimum viewing period as the sun reflects off the space station and contrasts against the darker sky."

British astronaut Tim Peake urged Brits to look out for the ISS, and not to be disappointed about the lack of Falcon 9 rocket in the night skies.

He tweeted: "Disappointing not to see a launch tonight but the @SpaceStation runs like clockwork and will pass over the UK again at 22:57, lower in the horizon from west to south east but it will be much darker then so, weather permitting, easier to spot."

International Space Station (Getty)

The ISS will appear as a bright light moving quickly through the night sky.

The space station flies at approximately 18,000 mph (28, 968 km/h), so you'll have to be eagle eyed to spot it!

If you want to see the ISS tonight, you can use NASA's Spot The Station tool to check if it's visible in your area.

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