NASA's SpaceX 29th resupply mission to space station gets delayed

CRS-29, SpaceX's 29th Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA to the International Space Station has been delayed by two days to Thursday, November 9.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft atop, will lift off at 8:28 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The additional two-day time will allow for completion of the final prelaunch closeout ahead of the liftoff, the agency said on Friday.

🚀Launch update: @NASA and @SpaceX now are targeting 8:28pm ET on Nov. 9 for launch of the company's 29th commercial resupply services mission to the @Space_Station.The additional time allows for completion of final prelaunch closeout ahead of liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9… pic.twitter.com/IC3hZNG8FD

— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) November 3, 2023

The Dragon spacecraft will deliver over 6,500 pounds of cargo including new science investigations, food, supplies, and equipment to the international crew. The cargo includes NASA's ILLUMA-T (Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low-Earth-Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal) which will test high data rate laser communications from the space station to Earth via the agency's LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration).

After docking autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station's Harmony module, the spacecraft will spend about one month attached to the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

The broadcast of both the launch and docking of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will air live on NASA TV, on the agency's app and website.

Meanwhile, NASA astronauts and Expedition 70 crew members Loral O'Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli partnered together at the weekend training for the upcoming arrival of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. The astronaut duo reviewed Dragon's approach and rendezvous procedures and also practised the techniques they would use while monitoring Dragon's automated arrival and docking at the station.