HAWTHORNE (CNS) - Hawthorne-based SpaceX is gearing up for tomorrow's planned launch of its 15th resupply mission to the International Space Station. The launch is scheduled for 2:42 a.m. Pacific time Friday at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket. The Dragon's 5,900 pounds of cargo will include Ecostress, developed in Pasadena at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which measures the temperature of plants to better understand how much water they need in space and how they respond to stress.
A toy dog provided by the National Park Service will also be aboard, to help the NPS and NASA jointly celebrate NASA's 60th anniversary and the National Trail System's 50th anniversary, according to JPL. The toy dog is meant to represent the Newfoundland pooch who completed the famous early 1800s journey of Lewis and Clark from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
If Friday's launch does not occur, SpaceX has a backup launch opportunity Sunday at 1:54 a.m. PDT.