Update: The launch is now being targeted for 6:05 p.m. Friday, April 15, NASA said.
SpaceX and NASA are planning to send another uncrewed spacecraft to the International Space Station bearing thousands of pounds of supplies for the seven astronauts on board.
Scheduled for today (May 12) the mission marks the 34th time that billionaire Elon Musk’s commercial rocket company aims to launch a cargo spacecraft from Florida to the iconic orbital outpost. The mission also comes less than a month since Russia also launched a resupply mission bound for the ISS from Kazakhstan.
The impending launch would be the latest relying on the services of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which will help propel the company’s Dragon capsule to orbit so that it can use its own engines to make a two-day journey to the space station. The next time the Falcon 9 launches with a Dragon perched on top, it will be with humans aboard as a mission known as Crew-13 is anticipated to relieve four astronauts at the ISS in September.
Want to watch the launch? Here’s what to know.
What is the International Space Station?
The International Space Station has been stationed in low-Earth orbit for more than 25 years, typically about 260 miles high, where it has been home to astronauts from all over the world. Throughout its lifespan, the station has served as a test bed for scientific research in microgravity and has in years past opened itself up to private commercial missions.
The orbital laboratory is operated through a global partnership of space agencies, including NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
More than 290 spacefarers from 26 countries have visited the International Space Station, including 170 from the United States alone, according to NASA.
SpaceX to deliver cargo, supplies to ISS. When is launch?
The next resupply mission to the International Space Station is due to get off the ground Tuesday, May 12 from Florida.
For the 34th time, SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule will hitch a ride to orbit atop the company’s 230-foot, two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, which will launch from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch window is scheduled to open at 7:16 p.m. ET, according to NASA and SpaceX.
The spacecraft will be carrying about 6,500 pounds of cargo to the space station, including supplies for the crew and equipment needed for the astronauts to conduct scientific research in microgravity, according to NASA.
If the mission launches as scheduled, the Dragon would arrive at 9:50 a.m. ET Thursday, May 14 at the station, where two astronauts will be tasked with monitoring the spacecraft as it makes an automated docking, NASA said.
How to watch NASA, SpaceX coverage of CRS-34
Both NASA and SpaceX will provide live coverage of the commercial resupply services mission, abbreviated as CRS-34.
NASA’s coverage is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET May 12. The livestream will be available on NASA+, the agency’s free online streaming service, as well as NASA’s YouTube channel and Amazon Prime.
SpaceX will also provide a live webcast of the mission beginning about 20 minutes prior to liftoff. The livestream will be available on the company’s website and on social media site X.
NASA’s coverage will resume at 8:20 a.m. ET May 14 when the Dragon vehicle approaches the ISS.
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Livestream: Watch SpaceX resupply mission launch
What is the SpaceX Dragon capsule?
The SpaceX Dragon is the only U.S. vehicle capable of transporting astronauts to and from the space station.
Standing nearly 27 feet tall and about 13 feet wide, Dragon capsules can carry up to seven astronauts into orbit, though most of SpaceX’s Crew missions, which are contracted with NASA, feature a contingent of four. The Dragon is additionally among the cargo spacecraft that deliver science experiments and other cargo to the space station on a regular basis.
The Dragon spacecraft will remain docked at the space station until mid-June, when it will depart to return to Earth for a water landing off the coast of California.
What astronauts are on the International Space Station?
Seven astronauts who are part of Expedition 74 are living and working aboard the International Space Station.
That includes four people who are part of the Crew-12 mission that docked in mid-February: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, as well as the European Space Agency’s Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The Crew-12 contingent are due to depart in September following the arrival of Crew-13.
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russians Sergey Mikaev and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who arrived at the end of November on a Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, will also be at the orbital laboratory until their replacements arrive in July.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: How to watch NASA coverage of SpaceX launch today from Cape Canaveral
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
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