PROVES-Maia · Launch event
On schedule · updated Oct 7PROVES-Maia Launch Watch Party
Join Space Lab to watch Texas State University’s first spacecraft lift off, live, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Students and the public are welcome.
- When
- Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Party starts 5:00 AM CT · Launch at 5:33 AM CT - Where
- Roy F. Mitte Building, Room 3241
Texas State University, San Marcos - Who
- Open to students and the public. This is a free event.
Directions and parking
Getting here.
The watch party is in Room 3241 of the Roy F. Mitte Building (RFM) on the Texas State University campus in San Marcos. Visitors should park in the LBJ Student Center Parking Garage and walk to the building’s front entrance.
1. Park at the LBJ Student Center Parking Garage
This is a pay-to-park garage. Take a ticket as you drive in, then pay at the kiosk before you return to your car. The kiosks take credit and debit cards and cash (no bills larger than $20). Parking currently costs $3 for the first hour and $6 for up to two hours. See current garage rates.
2. Walk to the Roy F. Mitte Building
From the garage, follow the route on the map to the front entrance of the Roy F. Mitte Building at 749 N. Comanche St. The walk takes about 8 minutes.
3. Find Room 3241
Come in through the front doors. Take the staircase in the lobby up one floor, then walk forward until you reach Room 3241.
- Address
- Roy F. Mitte Building (RFM), Room 3241
749 N. Comanche St.
San Marcos, TX 78666 - Maps
- Open in Google Maps
Visitor parking at Texas State
- Arrive early
- Doors open at 5:00 AM. Plan to be in your seat by 5:20 AM so you don’t miss liftoff.
- Already on campus?
- Students, faculty, and staff can skip the garage and walk straight to the front entrance of the Roy F. Mitte Building.
- Accessibility
- An elevator goes to the third floor of RFM, where Room 3241 is located. To find it, turn right after entering the lobby, go through the double doors on the far wall, then take an immediate right again. To request an accommodation, email egjellison@txstate.edu by 5:00 PM CT on Monday, October 12.
Launch morning
What to expect.
-
5:00 AM
Doors open
Find a seat and settle in. Free coffee and snacks will be provided.
-
5:20 AM
Welcome from Space Lab
A few remarks about the PROVES-Maia mission and its development.
-
5:33 AM
Liftoff
The Falcon 9 is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. We’ll watch the live broadcast together.
-
About 5:45 AM
On the way to the space station
Roughly ten minutes after liftoff, the Dragon cargo spacecraft separates from the rocket and heads for the International Space Station with PROVES-Maia on board.
-
6:00 AM
Wrap-up
Q&A with the team and end of the event.
Why 5:33 in the morning?
To catch the International Space Station, a rocket has to lift off at the moment Earth’s rotation carries the launch pad underneath the station’s orbit. That moment comes about once a day, and on October 13 it falls before sunrise in Texas.
It also means there is no room for delay on the day. If the rocket can’t launch on time, the attempt moves to another day.
PROVES-Maia is a CubeSat, a miniature cube-shaped satellite, assembled by Space Lab in the Department of Physics. It is Texas State University’s first spacecraft.
The satellite is Texas State’s contribution to the Pleiades Five Program, a collaboration between Cal Poly Pomona, Columbia University, Northeastern University, UC Santa Cruz, and Texas State University. Each university builds its own satellite around a shared spacecraft design created at Cal Poly Pomona. Our team assembled the spacecraft and added a scientific payload of our own, which includes a gamma-ray radiation detector designed and built by TXST alumnus Stephan Cope.
PROVES-Maia is flying on CRS SpX-35, a NASA cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), with launch services provided through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. Once PROVES-Maia reaches the ISS, it will be stored there for about two weeks before it is deployed into orbit around the Earth.
- Spacecraft
- PROVES-Maia, a CubeSat
- Built by
- Space Lab, Department of Physics
- Rocket
- SpaceX Falcon 9
- Flight
- CRS SpX-35, a NASA cargo mission to the International Space Station
- Launch site
- Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
- Liftoff
- Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 5:33 AM CT (10:33 UTC)
Can’t make it? Watch online.
The launch will be streamed live on RocketLaunch.live and on NASA’s YouTube channel.
Follow @txstspacelab on Instagram for updates from the watch party.
If the launch is delayed.
Rocket launches are often rescheduled for weather or technical reasons, sometimes in the last minutes of the countdown. Before you leave home, check the launch status at the top of this page or on Instagram at @txstspacelab.
Good to know
Questions and answers.
Who can come?
Everyone. The watch party is open to Texas State students, faculty, and staff, and to the public.
Will we see the rocket from San Marcos?
No. The rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida, about 1,000 miles away. We’ll watch the live broadcast together on screen.
Can I bring children?
Yes! Children are welcome with an adult.
Does it cost anything? Do I need to register?
This event is free and there is no need to RSVP. However, parking in the LBJ Student Center Parking Garage is paid if you plan on parking there.
How long will it last?
The launch itself is quick: the spacecraft is in orbit about ten minutes after liftoff. Expect to be finished by about 6:00 AM.
Will there be food or coffee?
There will be free coffee and snacks provided at this event.
Questions?
Email egjellison@txstate.edu or message @txstspacelab on Instagram.
Directions and parking