Updated June 3: SpaceX has delayed the launch of the CRS-28 cargo mission to no later than Sunday, June 4 at 12:12 p.m. EST (1612 GMT) due to inclement weather and vehicle inspections.
SpaceX will launch the 28th cargo mission to the International Space Station for NASA on Sunday (June 4) after a one-day weather delay and you can watch the event live.
a SpaceX A Falcon 9 rocket is now scheduled to launch a Dragon robotic cargo capsule toward the orbiting laboratory on Sunday at 12:12 PM EST (1612 GMT) From NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch was originally scheduled for Saturday, June 3, but SpaceX announced a 24-hour delay in the early hours of the day, citing the need to “allow more time for vehicle preparations and better weather conditions,” according to one newspaper. Twitter update.
You can watch the launch here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or live via SpaceX’s space agency. The SpaceX webcast will begin at 12 p.m. EST (1600 GMT). There is no guarantee that the Dragon It will set off on time, however; In fact, there’s a 60% chance that the weather won’t cooperate on Sunday, which is only slightly better than the 70% odds of bad weather for a Saturday. If the launch doesn’t happen today, the next opportunity will come Monday (June 5) 11:47 a.m. EST (1547 GMT).
Related: 8 ways SpaceX has changed spaceflight
the Falcon 9 The unmanned Dragon capsule will be carried into orbit on the rendezvous trajectory of the International Space Station (ISS). After separation, the Falcon 9 first stage will perform a back-thrust burn and land on SpaceX’s self-driving drone A Shortfall of Gravitas, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Cargo Dragon will spend just over 40 hours on an intercept course with the International Space Station. Dragon will catch up with the International Space Station early Monday (June 5) morning, with docking to the Harmony module’s peak port scheduled for 5:36 a.m. EDT (0936 GMT). You can watch that here at Space.com, too, when the time comes.
The Dragon will carry a few thousand pounds of scientific research supplies and provisions for the station’s crew. Northrop Grumman launch delayed swan NG-19, the International Space Station’s resupply vehicle, prompted NASA to transfer some of the cargo intended for that mission to Dragon in order to keep the space station’s cache from dwindling too much.
During a prelaunch press conference on Tuesday (May 30), NASA’s chief scientist for the International Space Station, Curt Costello, said CRS-28 “makes up for the delay we’ve had in getting the NG Cygnus spacecraft to the station. So, we’re sending a lot of more of crew logistics supplies to keep them going through the end of the year.”
Scientific research aboard CRS-28 brings new experiments to the International Space Station, as well as replenishing materials for more than 30 projects in progress. Showcasing Clinger’s technology for docking systems for the autonomous space station, MicrogravityDNA mutation of telomeres and blue energy discharge research for thunderstorms are among some of the new science experiments under way on this mission.
Half a dozen cubes They were put away aboard the CRS-28 Dragon as well, all but one of which are student-run projects from the Canadian Space Agency’s Cubeaat program. The sixth comes from the Space Foundation, in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory and Space Systems Command. It’s called Moonlighter, and it will provide a platform for challenging space cybersecurity hacks.
CRS-28 also carries the next pair of iROSAs (International Space Station Solar Arrays), which are wired on top of the ISS’ existing solar panels in order to increase the station’s electricity needs. It will be removed from the Dragon’s box using the station’s robotic arm, then installed by NASA astronauts over the course of two years Spacewalk. Once operational, iROSA’s full complement will boost the orbiting laboratory’s power supply by 20% to 30%.
Designed as a reusable vehicle, SpaceX’s Dragon cargo will return science samples from more than 34 probes aboard the International Space Station at the end of its stay on the station. Like its manned counterpart, the Dragon payload returns to Earth for a smooth ocean splash with the help of a parachute.
“Infuriatingly humble alcohol fanatic. Unapologetic beer practitioner. Analyst.”