Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 40% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch tomorrow, Aug. 28, with the cumulus cloud rule, flight through precipitation, and the thick cloud layers rule serving as the primary weather concerns. The forecast is down 10% from Thursday’s favorable weather prediction.
SpaceX’s 23rd contract resupply mission under the second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA is scheduled to deliver more than 4,800 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Saturday, with an instantaneous launch window opening at approximately 3:37 a.m. EDT.
About 12 minutes after liftoff, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will separate from the company’s Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. Arrival to the station is planned for Sunday, Aug. 29. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
Live coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting today, Aug. 27, at noon. That will be immediately followed by a “What’s on Board” show, which will address some of the important science investigations that will be carried to the space station aboard Dragon.
Beginning Saturday, Aug. 28, at 3:15 a.m., join us here on the blog, or follow along on NASA TV or the agency’s website for the live launch broadcast.
Professor Amilcar Rincón Charris talks to students, from right to left, Jesús Marrero Colón, Wilhem Sánchez Rodríguez, and Carlos Vergara during the process in which the satellite created by them and other students from the Bayamón campus of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico was inspected. Credit: Inter-American University of Puerto Rico
NASA is preparing to launch three small, university-built research satellites aboard SpaceX’s 23rd Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station. This mission, carrying more than 4,800 pounds of cargo, will lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Saturday Aug. 28 at 3:37 a.m. EDT.
The small satellites, or CubeSats – built by the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell – comprise NASA’s 37th Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) mission. Each CubeSat measures approximately four inches by four inches by 12 inches and will carry out unique tasks once deployed into low-Earth orbit.
Puerto Rico CubeSat NanoRocks-2 (PR-CuNaR2) is making history as the first CubeSat from Puerto Rico selected for launch by NASA. The small satellite contains millimeter-sized particles that will be mechanically shaken to induce collisions among the particles. The team hopes that results of the collisions might answer questions about how mass, density, composition of particles, and collision velocities contribute to the formation of protoplanetary disks – disks of gas and dust swirling around stars – and planetary ring systems, such as Saturn’s.
The CubeSat was designed and developed by about 25 students from the School of Engineering at the Bayamón campus of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, along with their professor, and principal investigator, Dr. Amilcar Rincón Charris.
Shanice Kelly participates in the Attitude Control Test of SPACE HAUC. Credit: Edwin Aguirre, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Science Program Around Communication Engineering with High Achieving Undergraduate Cadres (SPACE HAUC) is an undergraduate student mission from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, Massachusetts. SPACE HAUC will demonstrate a student-developed communication system that can quickly transfer large amounts of data. Many CubeSats transfer large data files to ground controllers at 2 to 5 megabits per second. SPACE HAUC aims to increase that speed to about 50 megabits per second using an x-band phased array antenna.
This CubeSat was designed and built over five years and by more than 100 students from the Kennedy College of Sciences and the Francis College of Engineering. Dr. Supriya Chakrabarti, physics professor and director of the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology, is the principal investigator for this CubeSat mission.
The Cool Annealing Payload Satellite (CAPSat) will demonstrate enabling technology for space-based quantum communications. Credit: Michael Lembeck, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Cool Annealing Payload Satellite (CAPSat) was developed across several departments at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in cooperation with the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. CAPSat will test technology that could enable quantum links in space, which are important for global quantum networks, sensors, and quantum-enhanced telescopes. The demonstration will use a laser to repair single-photon detectors that sense quantum signals.
Over time, photon detectors can become noisy in space due to radiation-induced defects. The laser onboard CAPSat will heat the detector, exciting the atoms in its structure. Once the laser is turned off, the atoms anneal, or settle back into an ordered state, repairing the damage and restoring the detector. The principal investigator, Paul Kwiat, is a professor in the University of Illinois Physics Department.
NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) selected the CubeSats, which were assigned to the ELaNa 37 mission by NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. LSP manages the ELaNa manifest. CSLI provides launch opportunities for small satellite payloads built by universities, high schools, NASA Centers, and non-profit organizations.
To date, NASA has selected 202 CubeSat missions, 119 of which have been launched into space, with 59 more missions scheduled for launch within the next 12 months. The selected CubeSats represent participants from 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 102 unique organizations. CSLI recently released its Announcement of Partnership Opportunity for 2021. Applicants can submit CubeSat proposals until Nov. 19, 2021.
Stay connected with these CubeSat missions on social media by following NASA’s Launch Services Program on Facebook and Twitter.
Shown here is an up-close view of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket after being raised to a vertical position at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 25, 2021, in preparation for the 23rd commercial resupply services launch to the International Space Station. Photo credit: SpaceX
The weather forecast has dipped slightly for the planned Saturday, Aug. 28, launch of SpaceX’s 23rd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station.
Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 50% chance of favorable weather conditions for Saturday’s targeted liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the company’s Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An instantaneous window opens at 3:37 a.m. EDT.
The primary weather concerns are cumulus cloud rule and flight through precipitation. The most recent forecast represents a 10% drop in favorable conditions from Wednesday’s predicted launch weather.
Dragon will be filled with supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 65 and 66. Upon Dragon’s arrival – slated for Sunday, Aug. 29 – NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will monitor operations while the spacecraft autonomously docks to the orbiting laboratory’s Harmony module.
Beginning Saturday at 3:15 a.m. EDT, join us here on the blog for live coverage, and follow along on NASA TV or the agency’s website for the live launch broadcast.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft atop, stands vertical on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on Aug. 25. Photo credit: SpaceX
On Friday, Aug. 20, teams transported the spacecraft from SpaceX’s processing facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station into the hangar at nearby Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, where it was attached to the Falcon 9 rocket two days later.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket are rolled out to Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. Photo credit: SpaceX
The rocket – with Dragon atop – was then rolled out to the launch pad Tuesday, Aug. 24, and raised to a vertical position this morning, Aug. 25, in preparation for Saturday’s launch. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 is scheduled for 3:37 a.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver a variety of NASA investigations, including one that will determine if metabolites from grape skins and seeds used in wine-making could help prevent and treat osteoporosis.
About 12 minutes after launch, Dragon will separate from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. Arrival to the orbiting laboratory is planned for Sunday, Aug. 29. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the space station before it splashes down off the coast of Florida, returning with research and cargo.
Tune in to NASA TV or the agency’s website for live coverage of mission activities, beginning Friday at noon with the prelaunch news conference. Launch day coverage, which also can be found here, starts Saturday at 3:15 a.m. EDT.
Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 60% chance of favorable weather conditions for Saturday’s launch from the Space Coast, with the cumulus cloud rule and flight through precipitation serving as the primary weather concerns.
NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting Aug. 28, at 3:37 a.m. EDT, to launch its 23rd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff will be from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew.
One experiment will test an implantable, remote-controlled drug delivery system that will utilize a new research facility aboard the orbiting laboratory. Upon Dragon’s arrival – slated for Sunday, Aug. 29 – NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will monitor operations while the spacecraft autonomously docks to the orbiting laboratory’s Harmony module.
Live coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Friday, Aug. 27. Beginning Saturday at 3:15 a.m., join us here on the blog for live coverage, and follow along on NASA TV or the agency’s website for the live launch broadcast.
The Science Verification Test for NASA’s Advanced Plant Experiment-08 (APEX-08) takes place inside the Veggie growth chamber at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 6, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/Lucy Orozco
When astronauts embark on long-duration missions in the future, crews will grow food to supplement what they can bring with them. More than 20 years of continuously living and working in space aboard the International Space Station has provided many opportunities for crews and researchers to observe the challenges of growing plants in the stressful conditions of microgravity.
One experiment on NASA SpaceX’s 23rd Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station will help determine the effect of plant stress responses to the microgravity environment. The Advanced Plant Experiment-08 (APEX-08) will grow Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant scientists routinely use for research. The study includes making genetic alterations that elicit a response in the pool of polyamines, a group of organic compounds that modulate plant responses to environmental stress.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo capsule soars upward after lifting off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 3, 2021, on the company’s 22nd Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 1:29 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Kevin O’Connell
NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the launch of SpaceX’s 23rd commercial resupply service mission to send research and supplies to the International Space Station aboard a Dragon spacecraft. Launch is targeted for 3:37 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, from Launch Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this launch includes curated launch resources, notifications about interaction opportunities, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.
The spacecraft will deliver a variety of NASA science investigations to the station, including a study on preventing and treating bone density loss, an investigation that could detect and mitigate vision disorders, and a new robotic arm demonstration that could reveal potential uses on Earth, including in disaster relief.
Members of the public can also share in the journey through a variety of activities, including:
Virtual Launch Passport
Print, fold, and get ready to fill your virtual passport. Stamps will be emailed following launches to those who register via email through Eventbrite.
Watch and Engage on Social Media
Stay connected with the mission on social media and let people know you’re following it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Follow and tag these accounts:
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo capsule lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 3, 2021, on the company’s 22nd Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 1:29 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
More than 7,300 pounds of science and research, crew supplies, and vehicle hardware are on their way to the International Space Station, following the picture-perfect launch of SpaceX’s 22nd resupply services mission. SpaceX’s upgraded Dragon spacecraft launched atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida, marking the first flight of this Dragon spacecraft. Liftoff occurred at 1:29 p.m. EDT.
An up-close view of the Dragon spacecraft atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida ahead of the company’s 22nd commercial resupply services launch to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA
“The vehicles that deliver our crews, they do a great job of getting our crews there safely to and from station, but their cargo capacity is very limited,” said Jeff Arend, manager of the International Space Station Office for Systems Engineering and Integration. “We couldn’t conduct all of the science we do, as well as provide for our crew members, without our cargo resupply vehicles. Our cargo flights are vital to maintaining and fully utilizing our orbiting laboratory.”
The second launch for SpaceX under NASA’s second Commercial Resupply Services contract, the mission will deliver a variety of science and research experiments, including one that could help develop better pharmaceuticals and therapies for treating kidney disease on Earth, a study of cotton root systems that could identify plant varieties that require less water and pesticides, and an experiment using bobtail squid as a model to examine the effects of spaceflight on interactions between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts.
Also included in the delivery are the first two of six new roll-out solar arrays. These will be extracted by a robotic arm and installed by astronauts during a series of spacewalks this summer.
The Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage separates from the uncrewed Dragon spacecraft as Dragon continues on its journey to the International Space Station on the company’s 22nd commercial resupply services mission. In this view are the first two of six new solar arrays bound for the orbiting laboratory. Photo credit: NASA
“Over time, our solar arrays age. The first set of arrays have been up there over 20 years,” Arend said. “This augmentation is going to help us fully extend the life of the International Space Station and fully execute our full suite of research as we move forward. And probably most importantly, it allows us to power more science and research, especially in the form of future exploration systems and commercial users.”
About two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9’s first stage separated from the rocket, and a few minutes later, successfully landed on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Atlantic Ocean. Next, Dragon separated from the rocket completely. The spacecraft is now in orbit, traveling solo to the space station.
Dragon is slated to arrive at the orbiting laboratory on Saturday, June 5, and will autonomously dock to the space-facing port on the station’s Harmony module. Expedition 65 Flight Engineers Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA will monitor docking operations, and live coverage will air on NASA TV and the agency’s website beginning at 3:30 a.m. EDT. Docking is targeted for 5 a.m.
Dragon will spend more than a month attached to the space station, after which it will return to Earth with up to 5,300 pounds of research and return cargo, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean off the eastern coast of Florida.
A prelaunch news conference for SpaceX’s 22nd Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA to the International Space Station is held on June 2, 2021 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Joel Montalbano, manager for International Space Station Program; Jennifer Buchli, deputy chief scientist for International Space Station Program; and Sarah Walker, director, Dragon mission management at SpaceX. The Dragon capsule atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at 1:29 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 3. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped with the company’s upgraded Dragon spacecraft, stands ready for launch at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. Following a prelaunch news conference held at Kennedy, NASA and SpaceX remain on track for the company’s 22nd cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station.
“Just a couple of months ago, the Crew-2 crew got on board, and now they’re waiting to receive all this science and do it, so it’s really exciting for us at SpaceX,” said Sarah Walker, director of Dragon Mission Management at SpaceX. “Thanks to NASA for your ongoing partnership; this is an exciting mission, and tomorrow is just one more example of a long history that we’re thankful for.”
Liftoff is slated to occur at 1:29 p.m. EDT Thursday, June 3, and weather officials continue to predict a 60% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch. The primary weather concerns for liftoff are the cumulus cloud rule and flight through precipitation.
“It’s Florida, it’s summertime, and that means showers and storms; the main issue would be a few of those showers that come off of the coast and head toward our launch facility,” said Mark Burger, launch weather officer with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron. “However, given that there’s quite a lot of real estate between each one of those showers, I do think there’s still a better-than-average chance that we’ll be able to thread the needle and get in a good launch opportunity for tomorrow.”
Dragon will deliver more than 7,300 pounds of science and research investigations, supplies, and hardware to the orbiting laboratory and its crew. A few of the investigations arriving in Dragon’s pressurized capsule include an experiment that could help develop better pharmaceuticals and therapies for treating kidney disease on Earth, a study of cotton root systems that could identify plant varieties that require less water and pesticides, and an experiment using bobtail squid as a model to examine the effects of spaceflight on interactions between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts.
The first two of six new solar arrays for the International Space Station have been loaded into Dragon’s unpressurized spacecraft trunk. SpaceX will deliver them to the orbiting laboratory during its next cargo resupply mission, targeted for June 3 at 1:29 p.m. Photo credit: SpaceX
Also included in that delivery are the first two of six new roll-out solar arrays, which will be installed during spacewalks later this month to upgrade the station’s power capabilities.
“With seven crew members on board, the team is really just knocking it out of the park,” said Joel Montalbano, program manager for NASA’s International Space Station Program Office. “The utilization and research that they’re able to do on board, the commercialization efforts, the technology developed for our lunar program – it’s really a pleasure to watch these guys. They’re excited for the mission, and they’re excited to see these two new solar arrays on board.”
About 12 minutes after launch, Dragon will separate from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage, starting its solo journey to the space station. The uncrewed spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the station on Saturday, June 5. Upon its arrival, Dragon will autonomously dock to the space station’s Harmony module, with Expedition 65 Flight Engineers Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA monitoring operations.
After spending about one month attached to the station, Dragon will autonomously undock to begin its journey home. Upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down in the Atlantic Ocean off the eastern coast of Florida, bringing with it experiment samples and return cargo.
Robertsville Middle School students and their mentor work on the ELaNa 36 CubeSat, RamSat. Photo credit: Robertsville Middle School
RamSat, a small research satellite, or CubeSat, developed by Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, will launch aboard SpaceX’s 22nd Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-22) mission. Lifting off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 3 at 1:29 p.m. EDT, CRS-22 will carry 7,300 pounds of cargo, science, and research to the International Space Station. The RamSat CubeSat onboard is on a mission to study forest regrowth in the Gatlinburg area following the 2016 wildfires.
This satellite will use small cameras to capture pictures of growing forests and radio communication to send those images to ground control in Robertsville Middle School’s STEM Classroom. Students will operate the mission using amateur radio frequencies to listen for RamSat flying overhead, send commands to control the spacecraft, and gather image data and information about the spacecraft’s health. RamSat’s mission, which could last up to 18 months, will begin when it deploys from the space station into its own orbit 250 miles above Earth.
The concept for RamSat was created by students, Tyler Dunham and Aidan Hilliard. During its approximately five-year development, over 150 students have had the opportunity to work on the CubeSat. Robertsville Middle School was selected by NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) in 2018. CSLI enables the launch of CubeSats designed, built, and operated by students, teachers and faculty, as well as NASA centers and nonprofit organizations. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) missions provide a deployment opportunity or ride-share launch to space for CubeSats selected by CSLI. RamSat will launch as the sole CubeSat of the agency’s 36th ELaNa mission (ELaNa 36).
Stay connected with the mission on social media by following NASA’s Launch Services Program at @NASA_LSP on Twitter and NASA LSP on Facebook.
SpaceX’s 23rd contract resupply mission under the second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA is scheduled to deliver more than 4,800 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Saturday, with an instantaneous launch window opening at approximately 3:37 a.m. EDT.
NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting Aug. 28, at 3:37 a.m. EDT, to launch its 23rd commercial resupply services mission to the 
