Launch on Track for Today; Coverage Begins Now

Graphic of SpaceX CRS-8 mission title over Earth's horizon
Image credit: NASA/Chris Chamberland

Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us for today’s launch coverage. Countdown clocks at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are ticking toward liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft packed with cargo bound for the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for an instantaneous window opening at 4:43 p.m. EDT.

SpaceX CRS-8 mission patchWeather at the spaceport is postcard-perfect, and other than a concern about the potential for liftoff winds, meteorologists at the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90 percent chance of cooperative conditions at launch time. Launch managers will receive another weather briefing in about 15 minutes.

Teams across the country are conducting and monitoring today’s countdown and liftoff, from SpaceX’s launch control center here in Florida to the company’s mission control operations at its Hawthorne, California headquarters. NASA’s Mission Control in Houston is involved too, since the space station is Dragon’s destination.

There’s more to come as the countdown continues, so stay with us!

Falcon 9 Awaits Afternoon Liftoff

Photo of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Pad 40 prior to launch on CRS-8

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for liftoff at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in this photo taken earlier today. The rocket will launch a Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:43 p.m. EDT; live countdown coverage begins at 3:30 p.m.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

White House Kitchen Garden Includes Veg-03 Cabbage Seedlings

First Lady Michelle Obama, holds up NASA Veggie stickers while posing with Brad Carpenter, NASA chief scientist, Space Life and Physical Sciences, left; NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman, second left; NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, second right; and Gioia Massa, science team lead, Veggie project, right.
First Lady Michelle Obama, holds up NASA Veggie stickers while posing with Brad Carpenter, NASA chief scientist, Space Life and Physical Sciences, left; NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman, second left; NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, second right; and Gioia Massa, science team lead, Veggie project, right. Photo Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Space-age plants are growing in first lady Michelle Obama’s White House Kitchen Garden. The seeds, prepared at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, are from the same lot of ‘Tokyo Bekana’ Chinese cabbage seeds that are part of the Veg-03 experiment that will be carried to the International Space Station in the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft during its eighth Commercial Resupply Services mission.

The first lady joined students from across the country to plant the seedlings. Also joining her were NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman, and astronaut Cady Coleman. Gioia Massa, NASA Veg-03 science team lead at Kennedy, also helped plant the seedlings with the kids.

Read the full story here.

Launch Day Arrives for SpaceX CRS-8

Late cargo load operations at Space Launch Complex 40 on Thursday.
Late cargo load operations at Space Launch Complex 40 on Thursday. Photo credit: SpaceX

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is in place at Space Launch Complex 40 on Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where final prelaunch preps are under way for liftoff at 4:43 p.m. today. Atop the Falcon 9 is a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft loaded with cargo destined for the International Space Station. The SpaceX CRS-8 mission is the company’s eighth cargo flight to the orbiting laboratory under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract.

The weather forecast has held steady with a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions predicted for launch time. Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron cite liftoff winds as the primary weather concern.

Live countdown coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT. In the meantime, check out SpaceX’s newly released CRS-8 press kit, available here.

Weather Looks Favorable for Friday Launch

There is a 90 percent chance of favorable weather for Friday’s planned liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the company’s eighth flight to deliver supplies, science experiments and technology demonstrations to the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for 4:43 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The L-1 day forecast issued by the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron cites liftoff winds as the primary concern. View the full forecast here.

Launch to Set Up First Rendezvous of Dragon, Cygnus

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The launch of a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station on April 8 will set the stage for an historic rendezvous in orbit.

Although the SpaceX and Orbital ATK spacecraft have made 12 launches between them, this will be the first time that the two vehicles, contracted by NASA and developed by private industry to resupply the station, are connected to the space station at the same time. Orbital ATK’s Cygnus, which launched to the station March 22, is already attached to the station’s Unity Module. Dragon will take the port right next to it on the Earth facing side of the Harmony module. SpaceX made its first cargo resupply mission for NASA in 2012 and Orbital ATK followed with Cygnus the next year.

With the arrival of Dragon, the space station will tie the record for most vehicles on station at one time – six – which hasn’t happened since 2011. Cygnus, two Soyuz and two Progress vehicles station are currently docked to the orbiting laboratory. Read more about the CRS-8 mission ahead of tomorrow’s launch in this NASA feature about the flight.

 

Launch Week Begins for Next Station Resupply Mission

It’s launch week at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, where final preparations are in progress for the planned April 8 liftoff of a SpaceX Dragon capsule aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The Dragon will carry scientific research and hardware to the International Space Station, as well as supplies for the orbiting laboratory’s Expedition 47 and 48 crews.

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 is targeted for 4:43 p.m. EDT on Friday. A backup opportunity is available Saturday at 4:20 p.m.

The SpaceX CRS-8 mission is the company’s eighth flight under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services Contract.

SpaceX-8 Experiments to Cover Habitat, Drug Research

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16994664079_389658680e_oSpaceX plans to launch its Dragon spacecraft into orbit in early April, the company’s eighth mission under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract, CRS-8. The flight will deliver research experiments to the International Space Station that will help investigators test the use of an expandable space habitat in microgravity, assess the impact of antibodies on muscle wasting in a microgravity environment, use microgravity to seek insight into the interactions of particle flows at the nanoscale level and use protein crystal growth in microgravity to help in the design of new drugs to fight disease. Investigations like these demonstrate how the orbiting laboratory helps advance NASA’s journey to Mars while making discoveries off the Earth that can benefit life on Earth.

Future space habitats for low-Earth orbit or in deep space should be lightweight and relatively simple to construct. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an experimental expandable capsule that attaches to the space station. After installation, the BEAM expands to roughly 13-feet-long and 10.5 feet in diameter to provide a large volume, where a crew member can enter. During the two-year test mission, astronauts will enter the module for a few hours three-to-four times a year to retrieve sensor data and conduct assessments of the module’s condition. There’s a lot more to the research story of CRS-8, and you can read it at http://go.nasa.gov/22riUPJ

SpaceX Details Preliminary Investigation Findings

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Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray

SpaceX revealed early findings of its analyses Monday following weeks of intense evaluations and testing. The company said in part:

“Preliminary analysis suggests the overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank was initiated by a flawed piece of support hardware (a “strut”) inside the second stage.  Several hundred struts fly on every Falcon 9 vehicle, with a cumulative flight history of several thousand. The strut that we believe failed was designed and material certified to handle 10,000 lbs of force, but failed at 2,000 lbs, a five-fold difference. Detailed close-out photos of stage construction show no visible flaws or damage of any kind.”

To read the complete statement from SpaceX, go to http://www.spacex.com/news/2015/07/20/crs-7-investigation-update