SpaceX had been due to launch a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in the early hours of this morning, Saturday, August 28, but the launch has been delayed due to poor weather. The launch is now rescheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, August 29.
SpaceX sends resupply missions to the ISS as part of its partnership with NASA. Under the Commercial Resupply Services program, NASA pays private companies to take over some of the duties of sending supplies and research equipment to the astronauts on the space station. Currently, along with SpaceX which uses its Cargo Dragon craft for the missions, the company Northrop Grumman uses Cygnus craft for resupply missions as well. In the future, these two providers will be joined by the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser robotic craft in resupplying the ISS.
This morning, SpaceX was set to launch a Cargo Dragon craft using a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. However, there was poor weather in the form of storms in the area so the launch had to be called off.
Due to poor weather conditions in the area, @NASA and @SpaceX are now targeting Sunday, Aug. 29 at 3:14 a.m. ET for the launch of the 23rd cargo resupply services mission.
Live coverage will begin tomorrow at 2:45 a.m. ET: https://t.co/ZMidbp1daR pic.twitter.com/EG5IqFbf5u
— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) August 28, 2021
Instead, the launch is scheduled to go ahead at the same time tomorrow: 3:14 a.m. ET (12:14 a.m. PT) on Sunday, August 29. You can watch along with the launch live as it happens via NASA TV, which you can watch either using the video embedded below or by visiting NASA’s website. Coverage of the launch begins at 2:45 a.m. ET (11:45 p.m. PT on Saturday, August 28).
In a fun occurrence, as reported by space.com, a satellite from the company Maxar Technologies spotted the Falcon 9 and Cargo Dragon as they sat on the launch site. The company shared an image on Twitter of the launch site and the rocket which it said it captured “through the clouds” using its WorldView-2 satellite.
We got a nice look through the clouds at LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida of @SpaceX’s #Falcon9 rocket that will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on its third cargo resupply mission to the @Space_Station. Launch is scheduled for August 28 at 3:37 am EDT. pic.twitter.com/Y2OJDV7LQ6
— Maxar Technologies (@Maxar) August 27, 2021
To learn more about the cargo resupply launch including details about the experiments that will be carried to the astronauts to research on board the ISS, check out our full post on how to watch the launch live.
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