SpaceX is ready to launch its cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, 14 August 2017 at 10:01 pm IST (16:31 GMT).
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Here are top 5 things to know about SpaceX's NASA cargo launch:
- The flight of the unmanned cargo ship Dragon cargo will take place from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will be carried by the Falcon 9 rocket.
- This is the 12th official trip for SpaceX, which has a contract with NASA worth $1.6 billion which was signed in 2008. This contract aims at carrying out more than 20 such journeys back and forth for supplying cargo to astronauts living in the orbit. The weather appears to be 70 percent favourable for the launch. "Primary weather concerns will be cumulus clouds and flight through precipitation, although the early afternoon launch time is promising," NASA officials stated.
- This will be the final time a new rocket will be launched by SpaceX, the rocket will try to make a controlled landing back to the ground in Cape Canaveral just 10 minutes post the launch as a part of the American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX's attempt to reuse the parts of rocket after every take off. From now on only reused Dragon spacecraft will be going to the ISS.
- The supplies carried by the Dragon weigh 2,900 kilogrammes (6,400 pounds). The supplies also include a super computer -- The Spaceborne Computer – which is devised by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). This computer is being sent to space to find out if it can function in space's rough conditions.
- You can check the live stream right here. In case this launch gets delayed due to any reason, the nect one will take place next week as a spacewalk has been scheduled this Thursday by Russian astronomers, who will be deploying a series of satellites from the orbiting outpost.
