NASA Sets Coverage for SpaceX 35th Station Resupply Launch, Arrival
NASA and SpaceX are set to launch the 35th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station on Oct. 13, carrying over 6,300 pounds of supplies and scientific equipment, including solar arrays and research payloads.
NASA and SpaceX have scheduled the 35th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station for 6:33 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 13, launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket will carry more than 6,300 pounds of supplies, including the final set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays, to the orbital laboratory.
The Dragon spacecraft is expected to dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module around 11 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 15. NASA will provide live coverage of the launch and docking through multiple platforms, with updates beginning no earlier than 6 a.m. on Oct. 13 and continuing through the mission’s milestones.
The mission will deliver hardware to manufacture artificial retinas in microgravity, 3D heart tissue models for drug testing, and materials to study glass formation in microgravity. Additional payloads include brain organoids to explore treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis.
The Dragon spacecraft will remain at the space station until mid-November before returning to Earth with time-critical research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of California. NASA will host a media teleconference on Oct. 8 to preview the resupply flight and provide a post-splashdown update for the Crew-12 mission.