SpaceX’s uncrewed Dragon spacecraft has separated from the company’s Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage as the spacecraft continues its journey to the International Space Station for NASA, delivering critical supplies, equipment, and material to support multiple science and research experiments that will take place aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Arrival to the station is scheduled for approximately 5:20 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage successfully landed on SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Today’s launch marked the ninth flight on the Commercial Resupply Services-2 SpaceX contract and the second flight of this Dragon spacecraft, which previously flew on NASA’s SpaceX 26th resupply services mission.
Coming up next, Dragon will separate from the rocket’s second stage to continue its journey to the space station.
The nine Merlin engines in the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage have finished their burn, and the first stage has separated from the vehicle.
As the second stage continues carrying the company’s Dragon on its journey, the first stage will land on SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. That landing is coming up in just over six minutes.
Liftoff! NASA’s SpaceX Mission Lights Up the Florida Evening Sky!
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft, lifts off the pad at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Thursday, Nov. 9. Photo credit: NASA
The rocket has powered off of the pad! At 8:28 p.m. EST, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida, starting the Dragon spacecraft’s approximately 33-hour trip to the International Space Station for NASA.
Dragon will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the Expedition 70 crew currently aboard the orbiting laboratory. Coming up in the next minute, the Falcon 9 will pass through Max Q – the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket.
At about two minutes and 17 seconds after liftoff, the main engine in the rocket’s first stage will shut off, followed by the first and second stages separating.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are ready for launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA
Launch preparations are well underway, and the countdown remains on track for SpaceX’s 29th cargo resupply launch to the International Space Station for NASA. In approximately 10 minutes, at 8:28 p.m. EST, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines will roar to life, sending the company’s Dragon spacecraft on its way to the orbiting laboratory.
The spacecraft will deliver critical supplies and equipment that will support dozens of the approximately 200 science and research investigations that will occur during Expedition 70.
Coming up in the next few minutes, the Falcon 9 will begin its prelaunch engine chill, which involves flowing a small amount of the super-cold liquid oxygen (LOX) into the Merlin engines’ turbo pumps to avoid thermally shocking the system when the full flow of LOX runs through them.
Following that, Dragon will transition to internal power and the command flight computer will begin its final prelaunch checks, culminating with the SpaceX launch director verifying we are “go” for launch.
As a reminder, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website will continue to provide live coverage of today’s launch.
