SpaceX is targeting Sunday for two important launches that will take place about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) apart.
Most of the attention is fixed on the 10th launch of SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket, which should leave the launchpad near Boca Chica, Texas, in the early evening.
But in the early hours of Sunday, SpaceX is also preparing to launch its 33rd commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) using its trusty Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft.
The Dragon will be filled with more than 5,000 pounds of supplies for the crew aboard the ISS, which orbits around 250 miles above Earth.
Besides plenty of food, the consignment will also include a number of experiments for crew members to work on, such as bone-forming stem cells for studying bone loss prevention, and materials to 3D print medical implants that could advance treatments for nerve damage on Earth, NASA said.
While docked at the station, the Dragon vehicle will also perform a reboost demonstration to help the ISS maintain its current altitude.
“The hardware, located in the trunk of Dragon, contains an independent propellant system separate from the spacecraft to fuel two Draco engines using existing hardware and propellant system design,” NASA explained. “The boost kit will demonstrate the capability to help sustain the orbiting lab’s altitude starting in September with a series of burns planned periodically throughout the fall of 2025.”
It added that the Dragon first demonstrated these capabilities in November last year during the 31st commercial resupply mission.
How to watch the launch
SpaceX is aiming to launch the Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, August 24. You can watch the rocket lift off via a livestream on NASA+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, as well as on SpaceX’s X account.
What about the docking?
The Dragon will dock with the ISS at about 7:30 a.m. (ET) on Monday, August 25, to the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module. You can watch the spacecraft’s arrival on NASA+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.
The spacecraft is expected to stay docked at the ISS until December when it will depart and return to Earth with research equipment and cargo, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
