Cape Canaveral: California-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX ) is all set for the launch of its seventh cargo delivery to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, carrying its Dragon cargo spacecraft, will lift off at 10:21 a.m. EDT, Sunday, June 28, for the space station from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
NASA Television's coverage of the launch starts at 9 a.m. EDT.
So far, the weather forecast seems good for Sunday launch with the US Air Force 45th Weather Squadron forecasters predicting a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions for lift off.
Weather remains 90% ‘go’ for Sunday's 10:21am ET @SpaceX #ISScargo launch: https://t.co/EGRrLlohza pic.twitter.com/6SW0bqW6Yt
— NASA (@NASA) June 27, 2015
Sunday launch is also crucial for SpaceX as the company will make a third attempt to land its Falcon 9 rocket on an ocean platform shortly after the liftoff.
The Dragon spacecraft packed with more than 4,000 pounds of pressurized supplies and payloads including critical materials for the science and research investigations, is scheduled to arrive at the space station on Tuesday, June 30. Also, aboard the Dragon cargo capsule are worms, lettuce and a massive parking station for future spaceships.
Expedition 44 Flight Engineer Scott Kelly of NASA will use the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and capture Dragon at approximately 7 a.m. Station commander Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will support Kelly as they operate from the station's cupola, said NASA.
According to NASA, the capsule will return with more than 1,400 pounds of cargo, including science experiments, crew supplies after than five weeks at the space station.
If the launch does not happen on Sunday, the next launch window would be at 9:58 a.m EDT on Monday, June 29.
