NASA Sets Coverage for SpaceX 31st Station Resupply Launch, Arrival

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NASA and SpaceX are targeting 9:29 p.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 4, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. This is the 31st SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency.

Filled with nearly 6,000 pounds of supplies, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, pictured on March 13, 2023, carried on the company's Falcon 9 rocket, will launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the agency's SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX — The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, pictured on March 13, 2023, carried on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, will launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the agency’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX

Live launch coverage will begin at 9:10 p.m. on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

NASA’s coverage of arrival will begin at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Dragon will dock autonomously to the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module.

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.

Media interested in speaking to a science subject matter expert should contact Leah Cheshier at: [email protected].

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until December when it will depart the orbiting laboratory and return to Earth with research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Monday, Nov. 4:
3:30 p.m. – Prelaunch media teleconference (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:

Bill Spetch, operations and integration manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Meghan Everett, deputy chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Jared Metter, director, flight reliability, SpaceX

Media who wish to participate by phone must request dial-in information by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, by emailing Kennedy’s newsroom at: [email protected].

Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.

9:10 p.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+ and the agency’s website.

9:29 p.m. – Launch

Tuesday, Nov. 5:
8:45 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+ and the agency’s website.

10:15 a.m. – Docking

NASA website launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 9:10 p.m., Nov. 4, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video on NASA+ and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our International Space Station blog for updates.

Attend Launch Virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.

Watch, Engage on Social Media
Let people know you’re watching the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab

Coverage en Espanol
Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Check out NASA en Espanol on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for additional mission coverage.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: [email protected] o [email protected].

Learn more about the commercial resupply mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-spacex-crs-31/

SOURCE NASA