SpaceX to Launch Another Resupply Mission for NASA

HAWTHORNE, CA - SpaceX confirmed Friday that the company is targeting the launch of its ninth NASA Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-9) aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Monday.

As with prior CRS missions, Falcon 9 will launch with an instantaneous launch window at 12:45 a.m. eastern time. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available on July 20.

In addition to the primary mission of delivering cargo to the International Space Station, SpaceX is attempting the secondary mission of landing the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket on land at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Landing Zone 1. SpaceX first landed a first-stage booster at Landing Zone 1 in December.

SpaceX has successfully recovered first-stage rockets from three missions at sea using the company's Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ships. Landing Zone 1 is built on the former site of Space Launch Complex 13, a U.S. Air Force rocket and missile testing range.

The Hawthorne-based company advised residents of northern and central Brevard County, Florida, that they might hear one or more sonic booms during landing.

Real-time information concerning Monday's launch can be accessed via the launch webcast at www.spacex.com/webcast beginning at about 12:25 a.m. EDT on Monday.

SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets. The company designs, manufactures, and launches rockets and spacecraft.

-- City News Service, photo courtesy of SpaceX