SpaceX will launch its twelfth year-long rocket on mission at the International Space Station – Quartz

One of the most important steps of Elon Musk is the speed with which SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rockets can be operational again. Early tomorrow morning (June 29), they set a new record: A rocket that carried a satellite observatory into orbit a little over two months ago will carry a Dragon spacecraft (also reused) to the International Space Station.

This is not the 48 hour delay that SpaceX is looking for, which means that June 29th marks the last time that the company intends to throw a rocket instead of the next one. to land again for reuse. This is the final flight for the Block 4 version of the Falcon 9, which is being blurred in favor of a more robust vehicle called Block 5, which is built to turn faster and fly ten times or more.

The launch is scheduled at 5:42 pm ET, and you can watch here from about 15 minutes in advance. The launch is scheduled early in the day to avoid thunderstorms that occur frequently during Florida's hot summers.

If the rocket is not ready at that time – SpaceX said that she was evaluating a single thermal protection panel on the Dragon Probe as a potential risk to the mission – the company plans to try again on July 1st. The mission will carry 5,900 lbs kg) of scientific experiments, food, water and other equipment for the six astronauts currently living on the laboratory in orbit

This will be the 12th launch of SpaceX this year and the ninth time that a mission uses a proven booster. According to Jessica Jensen, the director of SpaceX in charge of the company's Dragon spacecraft, reusability has allowed the company to increase its launch rate, on average, every two weeks. Next month, the company is expected to perform two different satellite launch missions over a two-day period

Time for Spaceflight

SpaceX and its rival Boeing are also under pressure to launch astronauts aboard the aircraft. ISS. The two companies are building spacecraft that are expected to carry the first people into orbit from the United States since 2011, but have faced delays in meeting NASA's stringent safety requirements. NASA maintains that unmanned test flights will take place this summer and fall, with crewed flights in December, despite widespread expectations outside the agency that the delays are likely.

"NASA continues to refer to August CBS News space veteran journalist Bill Harwood insisted at a press conference before the flight to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Kirk Shireman, NASA's ISS director, replied that this was not the case. It's not that simple: companies are preparing their vehicles on schedule and then The space station's program is to mingle with test missions, alongside regular flights and activities. "Jensen noted that SpaceX's vehicle was currently on a NASA test site in Ohio, where it would sustain a battery. Vacuum testing before heading to Kennedy to prepare a test flight in August, the new Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket, designed to meet the needs of manned spaceflight.Although a version of the rocket flew for the first time in May, Quartz revealed that she did not include There are no critical upgrades designed to prevent catastrophic failures. It is also expected that these improvements are ready for the unmanned demonstration meeting