CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- SpaceX's next mission from Cape Canaveral is scheduled to launch into favorable skies early Friday just as the day's first light washes over the Space Coast.
Air Force weather forecasters on Thursday said they expect 90 percent "go" conditions for the 5:42 a.m. liftoff from Launch Complex 40, citing the possible presence of cumulus and anvil clouds as the only concerns.
The window is instantaneous, meaning teams have only one shot to launch the rocket topped with a Dragon spacecraft destined for a rendezvous with the International Space Station. Sunrise will follow shortly after liftoff at 6:28 a.m.
Dragon will fly with nearly 6,000 pounds of cargo, supplies and science experiments as part of the 15th of 20 missions under a contract between SpaceX and NASA's Commercial Resupply Services program, also known as CRS-15.
The spacecraft should arrive at the ISS around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, July 2, and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California in early-to-mid August.
Both vehicles for the mission are previously flown: The booster, a previous-generation Block 4 Falcon 9 known as B1045, launched NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, in April. SpaceX will discard B1045 after liftoff, so don't expect a landing at the Cape or on a drone ship. The Dragon spacecraft, meanwhile, last flew in July 2016 for SpaceX's ninth mission under the CRS contract.
CRS-15 will mark one of the final Block 4 launches as SpaceX looks forward to launching its newest version, Block 5, on a full-time basis. The next-generation boosters feature improved reusability features and can be flown at least 10 times with minimal refurbishment and possibly up to 100 times with moderate work, according to CEO Elon Musk.
In the event of a delay, Sunday will host a backup launch attempt, but the forecast is expected to drop to 70 percent "go," Air Force forecasters said.
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