SpaceX Dragon launch scheduled Friday 6:05pm

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 6:05 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 15, for the launch of Dragon’s CRS-34 cargo mission to the International Space Station, according to NASA mission updates and SpaceX’s launch page. The uncrewed spacecraft is set to lift off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA said the launch follows a weather-related scrub on Wednesday after anvil cloud violations around the pad. SpaceX said Dragon is carrying out its 34th commercial resupply services mission for NASA to the station. ### Why is this launch set for Friday evening? NASA said on May 13 that teams retargeted the mission for Friday after standing down from a Wednesday launch attempt because of inclement weather. The agency said the new launch opportunity also allows cargo inside Dragon to be refreshed and supports the spacecraft’s phasing for arrival at the station. (nasa.gov) SpaceX said liftoff remains targeted for 6:05 p.m. ET on Friday, with its webcast due to begin about 20 minutes before launch. NASA said its own live coverage starts at 5:45 p.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime and the agency’s YouTube channel. ### What exactly is flying to the station? NASA said Dragon is carrying about 6,500 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies and station hardware. (nasa.gov) The agency described the flight as the 34th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital outpost. SpaceX said this is the sixth flight for the Dragon spacecraft assigned to CRS-34. (spacex.com) The company said the first-stage booster is also making its sixth flight and is scheduled to land at Landing Zone 40 after stage separation. ### What science is on board this time? NASA said the cargo includes experiments on how well Earth-based simulators reproduce microgravity, a wood-based bone scaffold that could inform treatments for brittle-bone conditions such as osteoporosis, and hardware to study how red blood cells and the spleen change in space. (nasa.gov) The agency also said Dragon is carrying an instrument to study charged particles around Earth, an investigation tied to planet formation, and a sensor designed to measure sunlight reflected by Earth and the Moon. (spacex.com) NASA’s station blog said the Expedition 74 crew is continuing research and maintenance ahead of the vehicle’s arrival. The agency said astronaut Jessica Meir worked on the Veg-06 botany study in the Columbus laboratory, while European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot set up hardware for the KERMIT fluorescent microscope. (nasa.gov) ### How does this connect to station operations already under way? NASA said the seven-member Expedition 74 crew is preparing for a spacewalk later this month while keeping up station science and maintenance. The agency said Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev spent part of Thursday gathering and inspecting tools for that planned excursion. (nasa.gov) NASA also said Chris Williams and Jack Hathaway handled maintenance and cargo work, including checks on gas detection device batteries, testing pistol grip tools used in spacewalks, replacing an oxygen sensor in the Quest airlock and swapping drinking-water filters in Unity. (nasa.gov) ### When does Dragon reach the station if Friday’s launch goes ahead? SpaceX said Dragon’s flight to the station should take about 36 hours. NASA and SpaceX both said the spacecraft is scheduled to dock autonomously at about 7 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 17, at the forward port of the Harmony module. NASA said rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 5:30 a.m. (nasa.gov) Sunday. The agency said the spacecraft is expected to remain at the station until mid-June before returning time-sensitive research and cargo to Earth for a splashdown off the California coast. (nasa.gov) (spacex.com)