Updated June 3: SpaceX delayed its CRS-28 cargo mission to Sunday, June 4 at 12:12 p.m. EDT (1612 GMT) due to inclement weather and vehicle tests.
SpaceX will launch its 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 action live.
A SpaceX A Falcon 9 rocket is now scheduled to launch a robotic Dragon cargo capsule toward the orbiting observatory on Sunday. 12:12 pm EDT (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 morning, citing the need to “allow more time for vehicle preparations and improved weather conditions.” Twitter update.
You can watch the launch here, courtesy of NASA, on Space.com or directly via SpaceX’s space agency. SpaceX’s webcast begins 12 noon EDT (1600 GMT). There is no guarantee Dragon However, it will get off the ground in time; In fact, there’s a 60% chance that Sunday’s weather won’t cooperate, slightly better than the 70% odds of bad weather for Saturday. If the release doesn’t happen today, the next opportunity will come Monday (June 5) at 11:47 a.m. EDT (1547 GMT).
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The Hawk 9 Dragon will carry the unmanned capsule on an orbital path to the rendezvous point for the International Space Station (ISS). Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will perform a boost-back burn and land on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Cargo Dragon will spend over 40 hours on an intercept course International Space Station. Dragon will dock with the ISS on Monday (June 5) with the Harmony Module’s zenith port docking scheduled for 5:36 a.m. EDT (0936 GMT). Check it out here on Space.com when you have time.
The Dragon will carry several thousand pounds of scientific reconnaissance equipment and supplies for the station’s crew. A delayed release from Northrop Grumman Cygnus The ISS resupply vehicle, NG-19, prompted NASA to transfer some of that mission’s cargo to Dragon so as not to deplete the space station’s cache too much.
During a preview press briefing on Tuesday (May 30), NASA’s ISS Chief Scientist Kirt Costello said CRS-28 “makes up for the delay in getting our NG Cygnus vehicle to the station. So, we’re sending a lot. Additional logistics crews are continuing to deliver them to the crew through the end of the year.” .”
Scientific research aboard CRS-28 replenishes the ISS with new experiments and supplies for more than 30 missions. CLINGER Technology Demonstration for Autonomous Space Station Docking Systems, MicrogravityNew science experiments being carried out in this mission include induced DNA mutation of telomeres and blue energy thunderstorm discharge research.
Half a dozen Cubes CRS-28 is also aboard Dragon, all but one of which are student-run projects from the Canadian Space Agency’s Canadian CubeSat program. The Sixth Aerospace Corporation is affiliated with the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Space Systems Command. It’s called Moonlighter, and it will host a space-based cybersecurity hacking challenge.
CRS-28 also carries the next pair of iROSAs (International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays), which are attached to the ISS’s existing solar panels to augment the station’s power requirements. They will be removed from Dragon’s fuselage using the station’s robotic arm and then installed by NASA astronauts over two periods. Space walks. Once operational, a full complement of iROSAs will increase the orbiting laboratory’s power supply by 20% to 30%.
SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon is designed to be a reusable vehicle and will deliver science samples from more than 34 probes at the end of its stay at the ISS. Like its crew, the Cargo Dragon comes back down to earth for gentle, parachute-assisted ocean splashdowns.
