SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for lift off at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for the company’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA
Launch preparations for SpaceX’s CRS-18 mission are well underway as SpaceX proceeds to count down to a 6:24 p.m. EDT liftoff, just fifteen minutes away. Fueling of the Falcon 9 rocket is underway.
Weather continues to be a cause for concern, as meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing are now predicting a 10% chance of favorable weather conditions for liftoff. NASA TV and the agency’s website continue to provide live countdown coverage.
CRS-18 will deliver about 5,000 pounds of supplies and critical materials that will directly support dozens of science and research investigations that will take place during Expedition 60 and beyond.
SpaceX’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 24, 2019, at 6:24 p.m. EDT.
Hello and welcome from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida! A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for liftoff at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 for the company’s CRS-18 mission to the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. EDT tonight, with an instantaneous launch window. Follow along on NASA Television for the live broadcast.
Launch controllers here at Kennedy will be working in conjunction with teams at SpaceX’s mission control center in Hawthorne, California, for tonight’s launch. The Dragon spacecraft – delivering critical supplies, equipment and material for multiple science and research investigations – will arrive at the space station two days after launch, July 26.
When it arrives, NASA astronaut Nick Hague will robotically capture Dragon, with NASA astronaut Christina Koch serving as his backup. The agency’s Andrew Morgan, also at the space station, will monitor telemetry during Dragon’s approach. After the spacecraft capture, mission control in Houston will send ground commands for the station’s arm to rotate and install it on the bottom of the orbiting laboratory’s Harmony module.
Bill Spetch, deputy manager of the International Space Station Transportation Integration Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, speaks during the prelaunch news conference for SpaceX’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the station on July 24, 2019, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At right is Jessica Jensen, director of Dragon mission management at SpaceX. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped with the company’s cargo Dragon spacecraft, stands ready for launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for the company’s CRS-18 mission to the International Space Station. However, one thing to keep an eye on for this evening’s launch is the weather.
Will Ulrich, launch weather officer with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing, discusses the liftoff weather forecast during the prelaunch news conference for SpaceX’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station, July 24, 2019, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
“I notice plenty of humidity out there, but another thing we have to deal with is the direction of the steering flow, or where the winds in the atmosphere are going to steer those afternoon showers and thunderstorms,” said Will Ulrich, launch weather officer for the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing, in this morning’s prelaunch news conference. “Today, we have winds that will concentrate the majority of today’s showers and thunderstorms near the spaceport.”
The launch forecast currently remains 30% “go” with the primary weather concern being cumulus clouds and their associated anvil clouds, as well as lightning. “I wish I had some better news, but hopefully we can find a gap in today’s showers and thunderstorms,” said Ulrich.
Live launch coverage will begin at 6 p.m. EDT on NASA TV and the agency’s website, as well as here on the blog. Previously flown on CRS-6 and CRS-13, this evening’s launch will be the first time SpaceX is flying Dragon for a third time.
Tune in to NASA TV and the agency’s website at 10 a.m. EDT to watch the prelaunch news conference – taking place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida – and hear from officials with the International Space Station Program Science Office, SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing. Join us here on the blog tonight and on NASA TV for updates and live launch coverage beginning at 6 p.m. EDT.
Launch of SpaceX’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the station is scheduled for today, July 24, at 6:24 p.m. The company’s Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying the Dragon spacecraft, which will deliver supplies, equipment and material that will directly support multiple science and research investigations taking place during Expedition 60 and beyond.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 2, 2018, carrying the SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tim Powers, Tim Terry
Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing predict a 30% chance of favorable weather for SpaceX’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station. Primary weather concerns are cumulus clouds and their associated anvil clouds, as well as lightning.
The Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:24 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 24. The company’s Dragon spacecraft will deliver a number of science investigations, supplies and equipment to the station, including the International Docking Adapter-3 – a new docking adapter that will enable future spacecraft built under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to autonomously attach to station.
Launch day will begin with a prelaunch news conference at 10 a.m. with representatives from the International Space Station Program Science Office, SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing. Watch live on NASA TV or the agency’s website.
NASA and SpaceX now are targeting 6:24 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 24, for the company’s 18th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Dragon spacecraft will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and arrive at the space station on Friday, July 26, filled with about 5,500 pounds of science, cargo and crew supplies for the microgravity laboratory.
In this file photo, the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft are on Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 7:35 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 21, on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This will be SpaceX’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services contract mission to the International Space Station for NASA.
Launch on July 21 results in an arrival at the space station for a robotic capture by Expedition 60 crew members Nick Hague and Christina Koch of NASA on Tuesday, July 23, at 7 a.m. EDT for about a month-long stay.
Learn more about station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the space station Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Two days after its launch from Florida, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft was installed on the Earth-facing side of the International Space Station’s Harmony module on Monday, May 6, at 9:32 a.m. EDT.
The 17th contracted commercial resupply mission from SpaceX (CRS-17) delivered more than 5,500 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory. After Dragon spends approximately one month attached to the space station, the spacecraft will return to Earth with about 4,200 pounds of cargo and research.
While the International Space Station was traveling over the north Atlantic Ocean, astronauts David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Nick Hague of NASA grappled Dragon at 7:01 a.m. EDT using the space station’s robotic arm Canadarm2.
Ground controllers will now send commands to begin the robotic installation of the spacecraft on bottom of the station’s Harmony module. NASA Television coverage of installation is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Watch online at www.nasa.gov/live.
The Dragon lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Saturday, May 4 with more than 5,500 pounds of research, equipment, cargo and supplies that will support dozens of investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Here’s some of the research arriving at station:
NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) examines the complex dynamics of Earth’s atmospheric carbon cycle by collecting measurements to track variations in a specific type of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Understanding carbon sources can aid in forecasting increased atmospheric heat retention and reduce its long-term risks.
The Photobioreactor investigation aims to demonstrate how microalgae can be used together with existing life support systems on the space station to improve recycling of resources. The cultivation of microalgae for food, and as part of a life support system to generate oxygen and consume carbon dioxide, could be helpful in future long-duration exploration missions, as it could reduce the amount of consumables required from Earth.
From left to right, Joshua Santora, NASA Communications; Kenny Todd, manager, International Space Station Operations and Integration, NASA’s Johnson Space Center; and Hans Koenigsmann, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX, participate in a postlaunch press conference at Kennedy Space Center following the SpaceX CRS-17 launch on May 4, 2019. The Dragon spacecraft will arrive at the International Space Station on Monday, May 6. Photo credit: NASA
By Jim Cawley NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
More than 5,500 pounds of cargo is on its way to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The company’s 17th commercial cargo mission to resupply the space station began at 2:48 a.m. EDT on May 4, 2019, with liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Kenny Todd, International Space Station Operations and Integration manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, explained during the postlaunch press conference that launch success far overshadowed fatigue with the early morning launch.
“If you have to be up, I can’t think of a better reason than to see one of these launches — it was absolutely spectacular,” Todd said. “We’re really excited to get Dragon on board in a couple of days.”
After a successful climb into space, the Dragon spacecraft now is in orbit with its solar arrays deployed and drawing power.
“We had a beautiful launch today; it was really great,” said Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX’s vice president, Build and Flight Reliability. “Dragon is on the way, the orbiter is great — it’s right on the money.”
OCO-3 will be robotically installed on the exterior of the space station’s Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility Unit, where it will measure and map carbon dioxide from space to increase our understanding of the relationship between carbon and climate.
STP-H6 is an X-ray communication investigation that will be used to perform a space-based demonstration of a new technology for generating beams of modulated X-rays. This technology may be useful for providing efficient communication to deep space probes, or communicating with hypersonic vehicles where plasma sheaths prevent traditional radio communications.
Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website beginning at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, May 6. Capture is scheduled for 7 a.m.; installation coverage is set to begin at 9 a.m. Astronauts aboard the station will capture the Dragon using the space station’s robotic arm and then install it on the station’s Harmony module.
The Dragon spacecraft will spend about four weeks attached to the space station, returning to Earth with more than 4,200 pounds of research, hardware and crew supplies.
