NASA Updates Broadcast of Next Space Station Resupply Launch, Prelaunch Activities

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX now is targeting 6:24 p.m. EDT Wednesday, July 24, for the launch of its 18th resupply mission to the International Space Station. Live coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website with prelaunch events Tuesday, July 23.

The company's Dragon spacecraft will deliver supplies and critical materials to directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 60 and beyond. In addition to bringing research to station, the Dragon's unpressurized trunk is carrying the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3), which, when installed on the space station, will provide the microgravity laboratory with two common ports that expand opportunities for visiting vehicles, including new spacecraft designed to carry humans for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Dragon will dock to the space station Friday, July 26, and be greeted by NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan. Using the station's robotic arm, Hague will grab, or grapple, Dragon with Koch providing backup. Morgan will assist by monitoring telemetry during Dragon's approach. After Dragon capture, mission control in Houston will send ground commands for the station's robotic arm to rotate and install it on the bottom of the station's Harmony module.

Full mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):

Tuesday, July 23

    --  9 a.m. - NASA Social, What's on Board science briefing from NASA's
        Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This briefing will highlight the
        following research:
        --  Pete Hasbrook, manager of NASA's International Space Station Program
            Science Office, will provide an overview of the research being
            conducted on the space station and how it benefits exploration and
            humanity.
        --  Ken Shields, chief operating officer of the International Space
            Station's U.S. National Laboratory, will discuss the lab's work in
            advancing science in space and developing partnerships that drive
            industrialization.
        --  Gene Boland, chief scientist at Techshot, Inc., and Ken Church,
            chief executive officer at nScrypt, will discuss the BioFabrication
            Facility, which is designed to print organ-like tissues in
            microgravity, a stepping stone in a long-term plan to manufacture
            whole human organs in space using refined biological 3D printing
            techniques.
        --  Charles Cockell, professor of astrobiology at the University of
            Edinburgh, will discuss Biorock, an investigation that will provide
            insight into the physical interactions of liquid, rocks and
            microorganisms under microgravity conditions to inform potential
            mining of materials in space and benefit long-duration spaceflight
            missions.
        --  Valentina Fossati from the New York Stem Foundation Research
            Institute and Andres Bratt-Leal from Aspen Neuroscience will discuss
            the Space Tango - Induced Stem Cells investigation, where cells from
            patients with Parkinson's disease and Multiple Sclerosis will be
            cultured on the space station to examine the cell-to-cell
            interactions that occur in such neurodegenerative diseases and
            inform the development of new treatments.
        --  Rasha Hammamieh, principal investigator from the U.S. Army Center
            for Environmental Health Research, and Melissa Kacena,
            co-investigator at the Indiana University School of Medicine, will
            discuss the Cell Science-02 investigation. This study compares the
            ability of two different bone-inducing growth factors, one novel and
            one currently used in bone healing therapies, to stimulate growth,
            differentiation and related cellular functions of osteoblast in the
            microgravity environment.
        --  Jason August, manager of the International Space Station Mission
            Evaluation Room, will discuss IDA-3, where Boeing's CST-100
            Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft will dock in the near
            future when it transports astronauts to the station.

Wednesday, July 24

    --  10 a.m. - Prelaunch news conference from Kennedy with representatives
        from the agency's International Space Station Program, SpaceX and the
        U.S. Air Force's 45th Space Wing.
    --  6 p.m. - NASA TV launch coverage begins for the 6:24 p.m. launch.

Friday, July 26

    --  5:30 a.m. - Dragon rendezvous, grapple and attaching to the station.
        Capture is scheduled for approximately 7 a.m.
    --  9 a.m. - Dragon installation to the nadir port of the Harmony module of
        the station

Dragon will remain at the space station until Aug. 20, when the spacecraft will return to Earth with research and return cargo.

The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed, but general information about media accreditation is available by emailing ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.

For the latest schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-broadcast-next-space-station-resupply-launch-prelaunch-activities-1

Learn more about the SpaceX resupply mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

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SOURCE NASA