SpaceX

“We are go for all range weather and expect to remain so through to the T-0,” forecaster Mike McAleenan of the Air Force’s 45th Space Wing reported to the CRS-7 launch and mission teams. He said the winds are very light today around the launch site and the temperature at the 10:21 a.m. launch time will be in the mid-80s here in Florida.

The Dragon spacecraft is carrying a 1,000-pound International Docking Adapter that will make it easier for spacecraft carrying astronauts to connect to the station. IDA-1, as the component is called, will be connected to the port on the end of the Harmony module on the space station. Equipped with modernized docking targets and sensors, the IDA, made by Boeing, will give spacecraft from Boeing and SpaceX a place to dock on the station. Many of the sensors and targets are set up so the spacecraft can steer safely to the station and dock automatically to the IDA. A second one to be sent into space later will be connected to another port on the station to provide a backup parking place for spacecraft. There’s a lot more to the IDA’s story, including the cooperation it has taken to make, test and launch. For those details, go here.

The SpaceX launch team is filling the propellant tanks of the Falcon 9 with refined kerosene called RP-1 and liquid oxygen. The Falcon 9’s Merlin 1D engines mix the propellants together at launch to generate about 1.3 million pounds of thrust.

The RP-1 loading began at 6:33 a.m. EDT and the liquid oxygen loading started at 6:58 a.m. Everything is on track for a liftoff on time at 10:21 a.m.

 

The SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft are in place this morning at Space Launch Complex 40 as we move toward this morning’s launch of the CRS-7 mission to carry two tons of experiments, equipment and supplies to the International Space Station.  Launch is scheduled for 10:21 a.m. EDT with an instantaneous launch window. The forecast continues to call for good weather this morning, citing a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions. Join us and NASA TV at 9 a.m. when we will begin our continuous countdown coverage leading up to liftoff and the ascent into orbit. See you then!

With one day until launch of SpaceX’s seventh commercial resupply  mission, U.S. Air Force 45^th Weather Squadron forecasters are predicting a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions for lift off. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to launch at 10:21 a.m. EDT, Sunday, June 28, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Launch coverage on NASA television and the NASA Launch Blog will begin at 9 a.m.

The cargo includes the first of two International Docking Adapters, pictured, that will be connected to the space station to provide a place for Commercial Crew spacecraft carrying astronauts to dock to the orbiting laboratory.

Today NASA will host a panel discussion about the future of the International Space Station at 2 p.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage and streaming Internet coverage at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv. Participants are:
Heidi Smith and John Weiler, students, Bell Middle School, Golden, Colorado, who have an investigation flying as part of the Center for the Advancement for Science in Space (CASIS) National Design Challenge
Bill Dowdell, International Space Station Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
Lisa Colloredo, associate program manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
Chris Ferguson, director of Crew and Mission Systems, Commercial Crew Division, The Boeing Company
Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Mission Assurance, SpaceX

The Dragon spacecraft will be filled with more than 4,000 pounds of pressurized supplies and payloads, including critical materials for the science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 44 and 45. Science payloads will offer new insight to combustion in microgravity, perform the first space-based observations of meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere, continue solving potential crew health risks and make new strides toward being able to grow food in space. Research continues to support the twins study and one-year mission investigations with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly.

For a mission overview, full briefing and events schedule, press kit, launch countdown coverage, NASA’s launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket passed a critical engine test today as preparations remain on track for Sunday’s launch, Hans Koenigsmann of SpaceX told reporters Friday. The static fire test at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station fired the nine engines for less than a second to confirm that the rocket is ready to lift a Dragon spacecraft loaded with more than two tons of cargo and experiments to the International Space Station.

Liftoff is scheduled for Sunday at 10:21 a.m. EDT. The weather forecast stands at 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time. For details into all aspects of the mission, read the SpaceX_NASA_CRS-7_PressKit.

A pair of briefings this afternoon will offer details about the CRS-7 mission, the science to be conducted on the International Space Station and the latest news about the launch status and expected conditions for Sunday at 10:21 a.m. EDT. Forecasters this morning remain confident of acceptable conditions at the launch site Sunday and continue to call for a 90 percent chance of ‘go’ weather.

Both of today’s briefings will be conducted at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will air on NASA TV. They can be watched at www.nasa.gov/ntv. The first begins at 1 p.m. EDT and features a panel discussing aspects of science, research and technology aboard the International Space Station. Participants are:
Dr. Julie Robinson, chief program scientist, International Space Station, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Dr. Michael B. Stenger, principal investigator, Fluid Shifts, Wyle Science Technology and Engineering Group, Houston
Dr. Alessandro Grattoni, principal investigator, Microchannel Diffusion, Houston Methodist Research Institute, for the Center for the Advancement for Science in Space (CASIS)
Alex Kipman, technical fellow, Windows and Devices Group at Microsoft
Jeff Norris, Sidekick Project lead, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The second briefing begins at 4:45 p.m. EDT and will update the status of the launch heading into launch weekend. Participants are:
Michael Suffredini, International Space Station Program manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Mission Assurance, SpaceX
Kathy Winters, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron

For more details about the briefings and the mission, go to www.nasa.gov/spacex. Our coverage of mission preps will continue through the weekend and our countdown and launch coverage will begin Sunday morning at 9 a.m. heading toward a 10:21 a.m. liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

 

The CRS-7 press kit has been released and in it you will find a host of details about everything from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, to the International Space Station – where the Dragon is headed – to the experiments astronauts on the station will conduct using equipment brought to them on this cargo resupply mission. YOu can download the press kit here: SpaceX_NASA_CRS-7_PressKit

Weather forecasters from the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron are predicting a 90 percent chance of favorable weather at the scheduled time for launch of SpaceX CRS-7. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is targeted for 10:21 a.m. EDT on Sunday, June 28, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This is the company’s seventh cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station under the agency’s Commercial Resupply Services contract.

Launch coverage on NASA Television will begin at 9 a.m. A Sunday launch will result in the Dragon spacecraft arriving at the space station on Tuesday, June 30. Expedition 44 Flight Engineer Scott Kelly of NASA will use the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and capture Dragon at about 7 a.m. Station commander Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will support Kelly as they operate from the station’s cupola. NASA TV coverage of rendezvous and grapple of Dragon will begin at 5:30 a.m. Coverage of Dragon’s installation to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module will begin at 8:30 a.m.

If the launch does not occur on Sunday, the next launch opportunity would be at 9:58 a.m. on Monday, June 29, resulting in a grapple and berthing on Thursday, July 2.

The Dragon spacecraft will be filled with more than 4,000 pounds of supplies and payloads, including critical materials for the science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 44 and 45. Science payloads will offer new insight to combustion in microgravity, perform the first space-based observations of meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere, continue solving potential crew health risks and make new strides toward being able to grow food in space. Research continues to support the twins study and one-year mission investigations with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly. This mission also is launching more than 30 student experiments, all of which are flying to the U.S. National Laboratory managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). The first of two International Docking Adapters for the station will be delivered in Dragon’s unpressurized trunk. The adapters will enable space station docking of commercial crew spacecraft, including the Boeing CST-100 and SpaceX Crew Dragon.

After more than five weeks at the space station, the spacecraft will return with more than 1,400 pounds of cargo, including science experiments, crew supplies, hardware and computer resources, space station hardware, and trash.

In addition to launch coverage, NASA also will host a series of prelaunch news conferences and events on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. All briefings will air live on NASA TV and the agency’s website. A full listing may be found at http://go.nasa.gov/1fEGZiE