Early in the morning on Sunday March 16, SpaceX is set to launch its third Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission to the International Space Station. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are targeted to launch at 4:41 am EDT from SpaceX’s Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch will be webcast live at www.spacex.com/webcast.

For this resupply mission, Dragon’s pressurized capsule and unpressurized trunk will be filled with about 4,600 lbs (2,087 kg) of supplies and payloads, including critical materials to support more than 150 science investigations planned for ISS Expeditions 39 and 40.

Falcon 9 and Dragon completed a successful static fire on Saturday March 8, firing Falcon 9’s 9 first stage engines for 2 seconds while the vehicle was held down to the pad. This is the last major test prior to launch.

If all goes as planned, Dragon will arrive at station on Tuesday, March 18, when it will be grappled and berthed to the complex for an expected four-week visit. Dragon is scheduled to return to Earth on April 17 for a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of southern California. Dragon is the only space station cargo craft capable of returning a significant amount of supplies back to Earth, including experiments.

SpaceX press release