Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Poor Weather Scrubs SpaceX Cargo Delivery Launch to Space Station to July 25: Watch Live/Photos


SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for lift off and vents LOX at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for the company’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station until poor weather scrub on July 24, 2019. Launch is rescheduled for 6:01 p.m. EDT, July 25. View from VAB roof at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com 
Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM – 24 July 2019
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL    Day long threats of poor weather from anvil clouds, thunderstorms and lightning put an end to hopes to launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 on a cargo delivery run for NASA to the International Space Station as the countdown clock clicked relentlessly down to T-Zero - until a scrub was finally called as expected in the final moments before the hoped for liftoff this evening July 24. 

The SpaceX launch team decided to give it a try despite the continuing poor weather forecast all day.

The scrub was called out with a ‘Hold, Hold, Hold’ from the launch team at T Minus 30 seconds Wednesday evening, July 24 before the planned liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 at 6:24 PM ET (2224 GMT) with the Dragon CRS-18 cargo ship from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida – bound for the ISS.

“The launch of SpaceX’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station – scheduled for this evening – has scrubbed due to unfavorable weather conditions,” said NASA.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch is now scheduled for Thursday, July 25, at 6:01 p.m. EDT  
(2201 GMT).

You can watch the launch live on NASA TV or SpaceX website

Launch coverage will begin at 5:45 p.m. on NASA TV and the agency’s website

"A launch on Thursday would result in the Dragon spacecraft arriving to the space station Saturday, July 27," said NASA. 

Check out our gallery of Space UpClose eyewitness photos captured at the launch pad on Cape Canaveral Air Force and the Kennedy Space Center – from the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and around the Launch Complex 39 Press Site.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for lift off and vents LOX at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for the company’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station until poor weather scrub on July 24, 2019. Launch is rescheduled for 6:01 p.m. EDT, July 25. View from VAB roof at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
The launch window is ‘instantaneous’ meaning any delay for weather or technical reason forces a minimum 1 day scrub – as happened today. 

Unfortunately the weather outlook remains poor for Thursday with only a 30% chance of acceptable conditions.

Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing predict only a 40% chance of favorable weather for the SpaceX  Dragon launch on July 25. 

The primary weather concerns are cumulus clouds and their associated anvil clouds, as well as lightning.

After Thursday the next liftoff opportunity is around Aug. 1, SpaceX said at the prelaunch briefing for media at the KSC Press Site.  
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands poised for lift off at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for the company’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station - in this up close view from pad 40. After poor weather scrub July 24, 2019, launch is rescheduled for 6:01 p.m. EDT, July 25. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
The goal of the CRS-18 mission is cargo delivery for NASA with some three tons of science and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Florida Space Coast.

Among the cargo will be a very important docking adapter known as International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3), which is required to be on station in order for the new commercial crew spaceships from SpaceX and Boeing to dock at the orbiting outpost. 
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for lift off and vents LOX at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for the company’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station until poor weather scrub on July 24, 2019. Launch is rescheduled for 6:01 p.m. EDT, July 25. View from VAB roof at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com


SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands poised for lift off at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for the company’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station - in this up close view from pad 40. After poor weather scrub July 24, 2019, launch is rescheduled for 6:01 p.m. EDT, July 25. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com 

Also aboard is the Techshot 3D BioFabricationl Facility (BFF) - the first ever 3D printer capable of manufacturing human tissue in orbit. 

1st experiments will focus on printing human cardiac cells. This 500 lb unit was on display at the KSC press site – see our photo. 
Techshot BFF. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
The CRS-18 mission features a once flown Falcon 9 Block 5 version rocket that launched in May 2019 on the CRS-17 resupply mission -also from pad 40.

The Dragon is also recycled and marks the first time that SpaceX will use a Dragon for the third time.

This Dragon CRS-18 Dragon cargo ship previously launched in April 2015 on CRS-6 and December 2017 on CRS-13.

The two stage Falcon 9/Dragon rocket stands about 213-feet (65-meters) tall.

The weather outlook is not good. Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing predict only a 30% chance of favorable weather for the SpaceX  Dragon launch on July 25.

The primary weather concerns are cumulus clouds and their associated anvil clouds, as well as lightning.

The 20-foot high, 12-foot-diameter Dragon CRS-16 vessel is jam packed with more than 5000 pounds (2300 kilograms) of science experiments, research hardware, space parts, food water, clothing and more supplies for the six person Expedition 60 crew.

The research gear will support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 60 and beyond. 
UpClose view of Dragon CRS-18 cargo freighter atop SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket poised for lift off at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for the company’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station - in this up close view from pad 40. After poor weather scrub July 24, 2019, launch is rescheduled for 6:01 p.m. EDT, July 25. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com 

UpClose view of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket recycled 1st stage poised for lift off at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for the company’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station - in this up close view from pad 40. After poor weather scrub July 24, 2019, launch is rescheduled for 6:01 p.m. EDT, July 25. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com 

Furthermore  Dragon’s unpressurized trunk is carrying the Boeing-built International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3) to orbit.  
IDA-3 fills up most of the truck and has a mass of 1177 pounds (534 kg).
Astronauts will use the stations Canadian-built robotic arm to pluck IDA-3 from the trunk and install it onto the space-facing zenith port of the station’s Harmony module.
IDA-3 will become the second docking adapter for the astronaut carrying commercial crew vehicles –joining IDA-2 - thereby allowing both the Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon to simultaneously dock at the ISS and offering vast advantages and expanding opportunities to NASA to overlap commercial crew missions - much like is currently possible for Russian Soyuz capsules.
IDA-3 replaces IDA-1 which was lost when a prior SpaceX Dragon was lost during a Falcon-9 launch failure in 2015 of the CRS-7 mission. 
IDA-2 arrived in 2016 and was used successfully for the first time for the docking of the SpaceX Demo-1 Commercial Crew Program test flight in March 2019.
“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,” according to NASA.

SpaceX was awarded an approximately $3.1 Billion contract from NASA to launch 20 Dragon cargo missions to the orbiting outpost through 2019 under the Commercial Resupply Services-1 (CRS-1) agreement that was amended in 2015 and increased from an original value of $1.6 Billion.  
Three missions remain: CRS-18, CRS-19 and CRS-20.
NASA also awarded a CRS contract to Northrop Grumman that has likewise been increased.

Both companies also won new cargo mission contracts under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) agreement awarded last year. 

Watch my commentary about the SpaceX launch of  NASA cargo including the IDA-3 docking adapter at Fox 35 TV News at the 3rd video of this link:
Dr Ken Kremer/Space UpClose July 24, 2019 interview with Fox 35 Orlando TV News about the SpaceX CRS-18 mission to the ISS
Ken will be onsite at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for live reporting of the SpaceX CRS-18 mission launch.
SpaceX CRS-18 prelaunch briefing. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com 
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
………….
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events

Ken’s upcoming outreach events:

Jul 26: Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL, evenings.  Learn more about the upcoming/recent NASA Orion Ascent-2 Abort test  Falcon Heavy, NASA 2024 Moon landing goal, SpaceX Starlink-1, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-17 launch to ISS, SpaceX Demo-1 launch/test failure, SpaceX Beresheet launch, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, Northrop Grumman Antares, SpySats and more 

Ken will display his photos for sale




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