NASA’s SpaceX 35th Commercial Resupply Mission Overview

NASA and SpaceX are targeting Tuesday, October 13, to launch the 35th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida carrying more than 6,300 pounds of cargo. The payload includes scientific experiments and the final pair of Roll-Out Solar Arrays to complete the station's power system augmentation.

Key research investigations include LambdaVision-1 to manufacture artificial retinas, Stellar Spheroids to grow 3D heart tissue models, ELF-Unconventional Glass 2 to study glass formation, and MINDS to examine neurodegenerative disease inflammation. The mission also carries a collapsible contingency urinal for the Artemis III program. Astronauts Anil Menon and Jessica Watkins will monitor the Dragon spacecraft as it autonomously docks to the Harmony module's space-facing port.

The spacecraft will remain docked for about a month before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean in mid-November. When it returns, the Dragon capsule will bring back completed science samples, a failed robotic arm joint from Canadarm2 for ground analysis, a spacesuit, and various life support hardware for refurbishment.

NASA plans to stream launch and coverage online.