SpaceX is planning its next launch to resupply the International Space Station at 4:33 p.m. EDT on April 13, NASA announced this week. The space station mission for the Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Dragon spacecraft, will be the sixth for SpaceX. The mission will launch from Cape Canaveral and if it starts on schedule, the Dragon will get to the space station on April 15. The spacecraft will carry 4,300 pounds of supplies and other cargo including research equipment. After about five weeks, it will return to Earth with cargo from the space station.
NASA said the backup date for the mission will be the next day at 4:10 p.m.SpaceX has been working on its reusable rocket concept, experimenting with landing a booster on a barge floating on the ocean. Previous attempts so far this year have failed, but the company has been confident that reusable rockets will be a regular occurrence to increase the efficiency of spaceflight. During a mission to launch a space probe in February, the rocket’s main stage landing was executed in the ocean due to rough seas. In January, the rocket malfunctioned and crashed into the deck of the barge.
