At 6:05 p.m. EDT, nearly 6,500 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo launched to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for the company’s 34th commercial resupply services mission for NASA. The spacecraft lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
About nine minutes after launch, Dragon will separate from the rocket’s second stage, open its nosecone, and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station.
Dragon will arrive at the orbiting outpost at approximately 7 a.m. Sunday, May 17, and will dock autonomously to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module. Watch NASA’s live rendezvous and docking coverage beginning at 5:30 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.
Learn more about space station operations by follow @NASASpaceOps and @space_station on X, as well as the International Space Station’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.