NASA and SpaceX target Oct 13 for CRS-35 station resupply launch
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Tuesday 13 October to fly the CRS-35 resupply mission to the International Space Station.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Tuesday, 13 October to launch the 35th Commercial Resupply mission (CRS-35) to the International Space Station, the agency announced (https://www.nasa.gov/general/nasas-spacex-35th-commercial-resupply-mission-overview/).
Loaded with more than 6,300 pounds of scientific investigations, supplies and equipment, the SpaceX Dragon will lift off aboard a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After arrival, Dragon will autonomously dock to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
New science experiments include LambdaVision-1, testing manufacture of artificial eye retinas in microgravity; Stellar Spheroids, studying 3D human heart tissue models; ELF-Unconventional Glass 2, examining glass formation in microgravity; and MINDS, using brain organoids to study inflammation linked to neurodegenerative diseases.
Cargo highlights include the final pair of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSA), completing the station’s power augmentation; a collapsible contingency urinal supporting NASA’s Artemis III mission; and support equipment to return a failed Canadarm2 joint to Earth. NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Jessica Watkins will monitor Dragon’s arrival.
Dragon will remain docked for about a month before splashing down in the Pacific, returning in mid-November with the failed arm joint, a spacesuit for refurbishment and other hardware. Launch and docking coverage will be streamed.
The date is a target, not a commitment: “no earlier than” means it could slip. Florida Today noted on 5 October that no firm October dates had materialised on the Eastern Range schedule, listing CRS-35 for October with launch time TBA (https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2026/10/05/when-next-florida-rocket-launch-spacex-why-less-fewer-launches-schedule-upcoming/92100829007/).
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