The International Space Station (ISS) will be hosting a special Super Bowl LIX viewing party, with NASA providing a live uplink of the game to the astronauts onboard. The AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 9, at 6:30 p.m. ET (2330 GMT).
While many Americans will be gathering to watch the game on Earth, the astronauts aboard the ISS will be able to enjoy the action live, albeit at a rather late hour. Due to the ISS's orbit around Earth, the astronauts operate on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is 5-6 hours ahead of Houston, Texas. This means kickoff for the Super Bowl will be at 11:30 p.m. for the astronauts.
Currently, there are four NASA astronauts living on the ISS: Expedition 72 commander Suni Williams, flight engineer Butch Wilmore, Don Pettit, and Nick Hague. While NASA has not planned any specific on-orbit messages or content related to the Super Bowl, the astronauts are free to watch the game via the uplink.
The astronauts' team allegiances remain unknown, but with their dedication to service and affinity for extreme altitudes, it's safe to assume they'll be rooting for the team that gave them wings to soar to space.