SpaceX Falcon 9, Dragon Launch on Resupply Mission to International Space Station

Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on the company's 17th mission to deliver cargo and supplies to the International Space Station
Image credit: NASA TV

Dragon successfully launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 2:48 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying more than 5,500 pounds of research, hardware, and supplies to the International Space Station.

Learn more about station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

SpaceX CRS-17 Launch Updates

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule await liftoff on CRS-17
Image credit: NASA TV

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft stand ready for a second launch attempt today on the company’s 17th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Liftoff is targeted for 2:48 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, with an instantaneous launch window. Join us on NASA’s launch blog and on NASA Television beginning at 2:30 a.m. for updates from the countdown.

CRS-17 Liftoff No Earlier Than Friday, May 3, at 3:11 EDT

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Friday, May 3, for the launch of the company’s 17th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for 3:11 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

On April 29, the space station team identified an issue with one of the station’s Main Bus Switching Units (MBSU) that distributes power to two of the eight power channels on the station. There are no immediate concerns for the crew or the station.

Flight controllers are scheduled to perform a series of maneuvers to robotically swap the failed MSBU for a spare on Wednesday, May 1 and Thursday, May 2. After the swap is complete, flight controllers will conduct a series of checkouts on the newly installed MBSU and take steps to return the station to full power capability to support SpaceX capture and berthing.