Month: March 2018

NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the company’s 14th resupply mission to the International Space Station scheduled for liftoff at 4:30 p.m. EDT, Monday, April 2.

Packed with almost 5,800 pounds of research material, crew supplies and hardware, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The official weather forecast from the U.S. Air Force’s 45th weather squadron at Patrick Air Force Base calls for an 80 percent chance for favorable conditions for launch. The primary launch weather concerns are flight through precipitation and cumulus clouds with the showers.

You may follow the prelaunch briefings and the countdown taking place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on NASA Television at: https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

Sunday, April 1
2:30 p.m. EDT – What’s on Board science briefing
4 p.m. EDT – Prelaunch news conference with representatives from NASA’s International Space Station Program, SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing.

Monday, April 2
4 p.m. EDT – Launch coverage begins for liftoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
6:30 p.m. EDT – Post launch news conference at Kennedy with representatives from NASA’s International Space Station Program and SpaceX.

For the latest schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/content/spacex-crs-14-briefings-and-events/

Learn more about the SpaceX resupply mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

Next Commercial Resupply Services Mission: SpaceX CRS-14
Launch Time and Date: 4:30 p.m., Monday, April 2, 2018
Lift Off: Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9, 230 feet-tall
Spacecraft: Dragon, 20 feet high, 12 feet-in diameter
Payload: Dragon will deliver cargo and material to support science investigations aboard the International Space Station.
Return to Earth: After about one month attached to the space station, Dragon will return with results of earlier experiments, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.
Payloads on Board: https://go.nasa.gov/2Isu6rt

Preparations continue for the launch of the next SpaceX delivery of supplies and equipment, including science investigations, to the International Space Station. Launch currently is targeted for no earlier than 4:30 p.m. EDT April 2 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

A Dragon cargo spacecraft, previously flown on SpaceX’s eighth commercial resupply mission to the space station, will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket and includes the first stage booster previously flown on the company’s 12th resupply mission. This is the second SpaceX resupply mission for NASA using both a reused spacecraft and booster.

NASA will host a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT Monday, March 19, to discuss a number of science investigations and instruments included in the 5,800 pounds the Dragon will deliver to the orbiting laboratory. Audio of the teleconference will stream live on NASA’s website.

To participate in the teleconference, media must contact Stephanie Schierholz at 202-358-1100 or stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov by 5 p.m. Friday, March 16, for dial-in information.

Reporters can still apply for credentials to cover the launch of SpaceX CRS-14 from Florida, but the deadlines to apply are next Monday and Friday. Prelaunch and launch activities will take place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and the Cape. Full details and credentialing deadlines are in the media advisory.

For launch countdown coverage and more information about the mission, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Sandra Joseph