SpaceX announced it will launch its Dragon Cargo Capsule to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida via its Falcon 9 Rocket on Monday, April 21, 4:15 AM EDT.
What Happened: As part of a resupply mission, Elon Musk‘s company will launch an uncrewed Dragon Cargo Capsule to the ISS aboard the Falcon 9 Rocket. The mission, dubbed the CRS-32 (Commercial Resupply Mission), is the Dragon Capsule’s 32nd launch as part of NASA’s resupply contract with SpaceX.
The company has shared that an alternate launch window dated Tuesday, April 22, at 3:53 AM is available for the mission, should there be any delays on Monday. SpaceX says the flight will last about 28 hours, after which the capsule will “autonomously dock” to the ISS.
SpaceX says the Falcon 9 Rocket will land at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station after separation from the capsule post-launch.
NASA revealed that in addition to essential supplies for the crew aboard the ISS, the capsule will also carry two atomic clocks and an advanced air quality monitoring system that could aid astronauts in future Moon and Mars exploratory missions.
Why It Matters: News of the launch comes in as SpaceX is making moves in the space exploration sector, having recently emerged as a ‘frontrunner’ for key Pentagon defense contracts.
Musk’s company recently launched the 9th batch of NRO (National Reconnaissance Office) spy satellites for the U.S. Government as part of the NROL-192 mission.
SpaceX also added 27 Starlink satellites to its low Earth orbit constellation of space-based internet satellites, helping its already strong constellation grow in numbers.
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