[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21X5lGlDOfg]
SpaceX will launch its 20th Dragon spacecraft mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday evening, July 24, and the entire thing will be broadcast live on NASA’s free livestream.
Using the Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX’s 18th operational cargo delivery flight to the ISS will take off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:24 p.m. PT on Wednesday, July 24. You can watch the resupply mission live above.
NASA plans on extensive coverage for the mission, including a prelaunch news conference starting at 7 a.m. PT., which you can also watch live above.
The latest resupply mission is expected to bring up a variety of tools for the experiments and investigations on the ISS, including a 3D printer that may eventually be able to “print” human organs using stem cells. Another experiment will analyze how low gravity affects rocks and microbes, with the goal of extracting resources from rocks in a new form of mining. The resupply mission will also bring up supplies to grow moss in space, which could eventually be a food or oxygen source in future missions — or even on a base on the moon or Mars.
The Dragon spacecraft will also bring a new docking adapter to the space station, along with essential supplies for the crew like food and oxygen. The payload weighs more than 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds) and is expected to arrive at the station by Friday.
In June, SpaceX pulled off what CEO Elon Musk called its “most difficult launch ever” when a Falcon Heavy rocket carrying a payload of satellites blasted off at night. But it hasn’t been entirely rosy for the private spaceflight company — just on Tuesday, its Starhopper rocket was engulfed in flames after testing its engine. Musk said the fire was caused by a fuel leak after the test, but caused “no major damage.”
Post test fuel leak, but no major damage
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 18, 2019
Assuming everything goes well, the next Falcon 9 launch will take place in August, where it will launch the Amos 17 communication satellite, which is meant to provide broadband over Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
NASA’s coverage of the launch will kick off at 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday. You can watch it live in the player above.
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