Hello from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida! A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft atop, stands ready for liftoff at historic Launch Complex 39A. Today’s launch is the 28th commercial resupply services mission by SpaceX for NASA, delivering more than 7,000 pounds of supplies, equipment, and research to the International Space Station and its crew. NASA’s live coverage of today’s launch airs now on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
Liftoff is scheduled for 11:47 a.m., just over 30 minutes away, and weather is looking great, now at 80% “go” for launch. As with all commercial resupply services missions for NASA, today’s launch is a coordinated effort, with launch controllers here in Florida working closely with teams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and SpaceX’s control center in Hawthorne, California.
Fueling of the Falcon 9 began approximately five minutes ago, with liquid oxygen flowing into the rocket’s first stage. Fueling of the second stage will begin in just under 15 minutes.