SpaceX launching NASA CRS-21 [Live: 06.12.2020, 16:17 UTC] - Second Attempt
First Attempt scrubbed due to bad weather in the landing area.
This is SpaceX's first mission under the new Commercial Resupply Service contract.
Prelaunch news conference: SpaceX's CRS-21 Mission to the Space Station: What's On Board
The booster is a Falcon 9 on it's 4th mission, carrying a payload mass of 15 t.
The rocket will launch from Kennedy Space Center (LC-39A), Florida and the first stage will land on a drone ship downrange.
This is the first mission of the new Dragon 2 capsule. The new model is an adapted Crew Dragon and can be reused up to 5 times. Unlike the old capsule, it can dock autonomously to the ISS and does not need to be birthed with the grappling arm.
Payloads:
- Bishop - a new airlock for cube sats and smallsats
- Hemocue - a white blood cell counting system
- Brain Organoid Experiment - an experiment about how cell masses organize and grow.
- BioAsteroid - an experiment to study the interaction of microbes and asteroids. Bio-mining in space.
- Cardinal Heart - a study of cardiovascular cells in 0g.
- Subsa-Brains - an experiment to study brazing of two alloys under 0g conditions.
Check your local time of launch at: www.timeanddate.com
Where to watch:
Tim Dodd will be live streaming 30 minutes before launch:
Or
Background information about previous SpaceX launches: Wikipedia
Useful links to stay up to date on launches:
Spaceflightnow.com: Launch Schedule
Everyday Astronaut: Prelaunch Previews
Space News:
NASA Spaceflight nasaspacefight.com
Be aware, this is rocket surgery.
Small disturbances can lead to postponed launches. Making sure everything is just right is way cheaper than risking big fireworks.