HAWTHORNE (CNS) - Hawthorne-based SpaceX will attempt to launch its 19th resupply mission to the International Space Station today from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft packed with supplies and scientific experiments is set for 9:51 a.m. California time. The spacecraft -- which has made two previous visits to the space station -- is expected to arrive at the ISS on Saturday and remain there until Jan. 4.
As of Tuesday morning, weather conditions were deemed to be 90% favorable for the Wednesday morning launch.
“As of now, we're tracking no issues on Falcon 9, none on Dragon and we're on track with regards to timeline,” said Jessica Jensen, director of Dragon Mission Management at SpaceX.
SpaceX is expected to attempt to recover the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket after launch by landing it back on a barge floating in the Atlantic Ocean, allowing it to be reused in future missions.
According to NASA, the spacecraft will deliver “critical materials to directly support” dozens of the more than 250 upcoming “science investigations and technology demonstrations.”
According to Wired, among the experiments included in the payload are equipment for a study of fire in microgravity, various biology experiments, 40 live mice for a study of muscular degeneration in space and some barley seeds from Anheuser-Busch for a study of how space affects germination and malting. That experiment is part of Anheuser-Busch's effort to make Budweiser “the first beer on Mars,” according to Wired.
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