NASA and SpaceX Planning To Send Supplies To ISS This Evening

SpaceX and NASA are planning to launch out a Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station this evening aboard a Falcon 9. Launch is scheduled for 9:29 PM EST from Pad LC-39A, in an instantaneous window. The booster used for the mission will return to Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1, several miles south of the launch site. As such, the Space Coast can expect a sonic boom to reverberate across the area at around 9:37 PM.

Booster B1083 will make its fourth flight this evening, and Cargo Dragon C208 will make its fifth flight on this mission. B0183 was first flown for the Crew 8 mission in March of this year.

Cargo Dragon is expected to arrive Tuesday morning after a fast trip to ISS, and will dock at the Station’s Harmony module.

At A Glance

• Mission: NASA SpX CRS-31
• Date: NET November 4, 2024
• Launch Window:  9:29 PM EDT*
• Weather: 70% GO
• Organization: SpaceX
• Rocket: Falcon 9
• Trajectory: Northeast
• Launch Site: LC39A, Kennedy Space Center
• Booster Landing: Landing Zone 1, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
• Payload: Supplies for ISS
• Destination: LEO / ISS
  
  ^{* consult SpaceX website for the specific target for T-0.}

Payload

According to NASA, the payload for tonight’s mission includes:

• Crew supplies: 961 kg (2,119 lb)
• Science investigations: 917 kg (2,022 lb)
• Spacewalk equipment: 171 kg (377 lb)
• Vehicle hardware: 238 kg (525 lb)
• Computer resources: 20 kg (44 lb)

NASA also says, “In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Dragon will deliver several new experiments, including the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment, to examine solar wind and how it forms. Dragon also delivers Antarctic moss to observe the combined effects of cosmic radiation and microgravity on plants. Other investigations aboard include a device to test cold welding of metals in microgravity, and an investigation that studies how space impacts different materials.”

Weather

The 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force Launch Delta 45 has forecast a 30% probability of violating acceptable weather conditions through the launch window, meaning that they expect conditions to be 70% GO.

Primary concerns are winds, cumulus clouds and flight through precipitation in the Cape Canaveral/KSC area.

The National Weather Service’s forecast for the Cape Canaveral Skid Strip, a site close to LC-39A is calling for, “A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 76. East wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.”

With a one-in-five chance of showers and breezes at or near the limit prescribed in the launch rules for this flight, it may well come down to the last few minutes before T-0 before a final decision on weather can be made.

Trajectory

The trajectory for tonight’s flight is northeastwards, which is typical for all ISS-bound missions that are launched from the Eastern Range.

Online Viewing

Live launch coverage will begin at 9:10 p.m. on NASA+ and the agency’s website.

Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link

For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.

Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.

Next Space Flight an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play. They are also on the web: nextspaceflight.com.

Launch Viewing: In Person

The best free options are available for spectators: the Max Brewer Bridge, Space View Park and Rotary Riverfront Park, all in Titusville.

The Space Bar will be open through the launch window.