The second mission by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled for Friday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., according to a NASA statement.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket carrying its Dragon cargo capsule will launch at 10:10 a.m. EST and, if necessary, a backup launch opportunity is available Saturday with a launch time at 9:48 a.m. EST. The mission is the second of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the ISS. It will mark the third trip by a Dragon capsule to the orbiting laboratory, following a demonstration flight last May and the first re-supply mission in October.
The capsule will be filled with more than 1,200 pounds of scientific experiments and cargo. It will remain attached to the space station’s Harmony module for more than three weeks. The Dragon capsule will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja, Calif., on March 25, returning more than 2,300 pounds of experiment samples and equipment, which will be recovered for examination by scientists and engineers.