SpaceX launched an uncrewed Dragon mission to the ISS from Kennedy Space Center on Monday
SpaceX brought excitement to the start of the work week Monday morning by launching a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo vessel from Kennedy Space Center on a resupply run to the International Space Station.
After enduring multiple delays over the weekend due to poor weather, the 230-foot rocket's nine Merlin 1D engines roared to life at 11:47 a.m. EDT Monday, June 5. Flying from pad 39A, it marked SpaceX's 28th contracted International Space Station resupply mission (CRS-28) for NASA.
Monday's flight, the 28th to take off from Florida's Space Coast this year, was SpaceX's second mission in as many days taking off roughly 27 hours after the liftoff of a Starlink mission from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday.
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What was the payload?
Packed inside Dragon are science experiments, supplies, equipment, and fresh food for the 10-person crew currently on the ISS. In the capsule's unpressurized "trunk" are new roll-out solar arrays that will help boost the station's power-producing capabilities.
SpaceX flies the missions under the contract of NASA's Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS.
The uncrewed Dragon capsule charted an 18-hour course to "chase" the ISS in orbit. Dragon's autonomous docking with the orbiting laboratory was scheduled for Tuesday, June 6, around 5:50 a.m. EDT.
The Dragon vessel, making its fourth trip to space, will stay docked at the station for about a month before returning for splashdown and recovery.
Was there a booster landing?
After lifting off on a path toward the northeast, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster separated away from the Dragon and its upper-stage engine nearly three minutes into the flight.
The 130-foot booster somersaulted and targeted a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina. After completing its fifth flight to space and back, the booster touched down about eight minutes after liftoff for landing on SpaceX's "A Shortfall of Gravitas" drone ship.
SpaceX will tow it back to Florida for return to Port Canaveral in the coming days before processing it for reuse on a future flight.
When's the next launch?
At the Cape's Launch Complex 40, meanwhile, SpaceX is set to launch another Falcon 9 rocket with more Starlink internet satellites on or around Friday, June 9.
SpaceX has not yet confirmed a launch date or time for that mission with the Eastern Range – only federal filings point to teams pushing forward with that attempt.
For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Jamie Groh at JGroh@floridatoday.com and follow her on Twitter at @AlteredJamie.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launched a Dragon resupply run to the ISS Monday from KSC
