SpaceX Dragon soars under sunny skies Thursday to dock with International Space Station

Rick Neale, Florida Today
·2 min read
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Brilliant sunshine and clear blue skies made for a spectacular springtime backdrop as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soared out of sight Thursday afternoon from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The Falcon 9 carried a SpaceX Dragon capsule loaded with more than 6,000 pounds of cargo en route to rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Liftoff of NASA's CRS-30 resupply mission occurred at 4:55 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40. Next, the uncrewed Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock at the ISS about 7:30 a.m. Saturday, then remain at the space station for about a month.

Thursday's launch marked SpaceX's 30th commercial resupply mission for NASA.

Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming rocket launch schedule for SpaceX, NASA in Florida

The launch also served as the sixth flight for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster, SpaceX reported. The booster previously launched Ax-2, ESA Euclid, Ax-3 and two Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, the booster generated twin sonic booms while sticking a landing at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station roughly eight minutes after liftoff.

Next, SpaceX is targeting Friday night to complete a back-to-back launch doubleheader — but stormy weather may scuttle that plan.

A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows Friday's Starlink 6-42 launch window will extend from 7:55 p.m. Friday to 12:26 a.m. Saturday from pad 39A at NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center.

The Falcon 9 booster from Thursday's launch descends past the sail of a kiteboarder as it prepares to land at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Falcon 9 booster from Thursday's launch descends past the sail of a kiteboarder as it prepares to land at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

However, the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron only predicted that Falcon 9 launch attempt will see a 25% chance of favorable weather as a strong low pressure system develops in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Conditions will deteriorate through the day Friday as the Gulf Low moves northeast, bringing gusty winds, showers, and isolated thunderstorms across the Central Florida," the squadron's forecast said.

"There will be likely gaps in the unfavorable conditions that can be exploited during the ~4-hour window. The primary weather concerns for a Friday evening launch attempt include Liftoff Winds, as well as the Anvil and Cumulus Cloud Rules," the forecast said.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Thursday afternoon from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Thursday afternoon from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX Dragon capsule soars under sunny skies Thursday to dock with ISS