NASA and SpaceX are targeting October 13 at 6:33 a.m. EDT for the launch of the 35th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA announced on October 7.
The Dragon cargo spacecraft, carrying more than 6,300 pounds (approximately 2,860 kg) of supplies, will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket. It is scheduled to autonomously dock at the forward port of the ISS Harmony module on October 15 around 11 a.m. EDT.
The cargo includes the latest set of deployable solar panels for the ISS, as well as several innovative scientific experiments. These experiments feature the manufacturing of an artificial retina in microgravity to help restore vision on Earth, 3D models of cardiac tissues to improve drug testing, the study of glass formation from unconventional elements, and brain organoids aimed at better understanding neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The Dragon will remain docked to the ISS until mid-November, when it will return to Earth carrying experiments and equipment requiring rapid return, with a splashdown planned off the coast of California.
NASA will broadcast the launch and docking live across multiple platforms. A press conference is scheduled for October 8 to present the mission and provide an update on the return of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission.
