Launch Date Announced for Next SpaceX Dragon Resupply Mission

Tags: SpaceX, NASA, Dragon, International Space Station
Publication: Forbes.com
Publication Date: 02/15/2013

View from the International Space Station of the Dragon spacecraft’s approach. October 10, 2012. Image credit: NASA

NASA has announced the next commercial cargo resupply mission will take off on March 1. For the third time, SpaceX will be in charge of such mission using its Dragon capsule.

The capsule is expected to arrive at the Space Station on March 2 where it will deliver 1,200 pounds of payload that includes supplies for astronauts, equipment and scientific experiments. Among the experiments are several payloads from commercial space company Nanorack, which include several payloads from high schools, as well as a self-funded projects.

After a few weeks, the Dragon will return back to Earth on March 25, carrying a payload of 2,300 pounds of equipment and experiment samples from the Space Station.

SpaceX has additionally signed contracts with the U.S. Air Force for two launch missions in 2014 and 2015, and a contract with Spacecom to launch their AMOS-6 satellite in 2015.

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