NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Space Station Resupply Mission

NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting its 12th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for 12:31 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 14. Coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency’s website Sunday, Aug. 13, with two briefings.

Loaded with more than 6,400 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket. The payloads include crucial materials to directly support several of the more than 250 science and research investigations to be conducted on the orbiting laboratory during Expeditions 52 and 53.

Complete coverage of CRS-12 activities is as follows:

Sunday, Aug. 13

• 2 p.m. – Prelaunch news conference
• 3:30 p.m. – “What’s on Board” science briefing

Monday, Aug. 14

• Noon – Launch coverage
• 2 p.m. – Post-launch news conference

Wednesday, Aug. 16

• 5:30 a.m. – Spacecraft rendezvous at the space station and capture
• 8:30 a.m. – Installation to the space station

About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit and deploy its solar arrays. A carefully choreographed series of thruster firings are scheduled to bring the spacecraft to rendezvous with the space station. NASA astronaut Jack Fischer and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Paolo Nespoli will grapple Dragon using the space station’s robotic arm. It then will be installed on the station’s Harmony module.

The Dragon spacecraft will spend approximately one month attached to the space station, returning to Earth in mid-September with results of earlier experiments.

The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed, but more information about media accreditation is available by contacting Jennifer Horner at 321-867-6598 or jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov.

For an updated schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-television-to-air-launch-of-next-space-station-resupply-mission-0

Learn more about the SpaceX CRS-12 mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex