Update Dec. 5: SpaceX says “the targeted date has changed due to poor weather conditions on Sat., Dec. 5 in the recovery area.” The rescheduled launch date is 11:17 a.m. EST, Sun., Dec. 6.
SpaceX is just a few hours away from launching Falcon 9 and Dragon to the International Space Station (ISS), as part of a resupply mission set for December 5, 2020. The launch will take place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“Static fire test complete — targeting December 5 for Falcon 9 launch of Dragon’s 21st resupply mission to the @space_station; team is keeping an eye on weather conditions as the forecast is currently 40% favorable for liftoff,” said SpaceX on Thursday morning.
This launch is part of SpaceX’s commercial resupply services (CRS) contract with NASA.
This will also be the “First launch of the upgraded cargo version of Dragon, which can carry 50% more science payloads than the previous version,” added SpaceX, noting the Falcon 9 booster being used “previously launched @NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the @space_station, the ANASIS-II mission, and a Starlink mission.”
“The mission will be the first on an upgraded version of the company’s Dragon cargo spacecraft that can carry more science payloads to and from the orbiting laboratory. The craft’s cargo includes critical materials that support research ranging from heart disease to asteroid mining and a new commercial airlock as part of NASA’s goal to achieve a sustainable economy in low-Earth orbit,” added NASA in the video below.
There’s currently already a Dragon capsule attached to the ISS, from a Crew-1 mission with NASA last month. It’ll be neat to see two Dragons attached to the ISS.
Check out the live launch of Falcon 9 below, with live coverage starting at 8:15am PT/11:15am ET, with the launch set for 8:39am PT/11:39am ET, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center:
The Falcon 9 booster is expected to land on Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY), the autonomous spaceport droneship (ASDS). Go SpaceX and NASA!
