The next cargo shipment to the International Space Station will experience a delay of two days on Earth.
In an email update on Thursday (Nov. 1), NASA and SpaceX announced that the launch of the Cargo Dragon CRS-29 mission to the International Space Station has been rescheduled for Tuesday (Nov. 7) at 9:16 p.m. EST (1316 GMT). Space.com will provide live coverage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch through NASA Television.
“The additional time allows for completion of final prelaunch processing,” stated NASA officials in the update. Initially planned for Nov. 5, the CRS-29 mission will now lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, carrying approximately 6,500 pounds (nearly 3,000 kg) of supplies, research, and hardware.
If all goes according to plan, the Dragon spacecraft will dock with the ISS on Thursday (Nov. 9) shortly before 12 p.m. EST (1600 GMT), according to NASA. Space.com will provide live coverage of this event as well.
Related: SpaceX to launch final piece of NASA’s first two-way laser communications relay
One of the highlights of SpaceX’s upcoming science-packed mission is the launch of a two-way laser array to test high-speed communications in low Earth orbit. NASA aims to enhance communications capabilities and increase speed in preparation for its Artemis program. This program sets the goal of landing astronauts on the moon’s surface in 2025 or 2026 with Artemis 3.
The science haul also includes a NASA atmospheric waves experiment to study air disturbances in Earth’s atmosphere, an investigation by the European Space Agency on water recovery on the ISS, and an ISS National Lab experiment that studies the impact of the mucus lining in the respiratory system on drug delivery.
Grown by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, heirloom seeds will also be transported to the ISS as part of CRS-29. This presents an opportunity for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and workforce development, as stated by Boeing officials, who are partners on the project, in a tweet posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (Nov. 1).
In addition to fresh food and replacement equipment for the astronauts, Dragon has the unique capability of refrigerating and returning temperature-sensitive samples like blood back to Earth. The spacecraft will remain docked to the space station for several months before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.
CRS-29 stands for Commercial Resupply Mission-29. SpaceX, alongside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, is responsible for delivering cargo to the ISS through billion-dollar agreements with NASA. These CRS contracts were initially awarded in 2008, and they have been extended as the space station continues to operate. Sierra Nevada Corp., another company, will eventually use its Dream Chaser space plane to transport cargo to the ISS under a newer CRS contract.
Cargo missions are also launched by Russia’s Progress vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Progress and Cygnus burn up in the atmosphere upon return, and they are often loaded with ISS waste that can be safely disposed of during re-entry. Similar to Dragon, the Dream Chaser space plane will also be reusable.
