NASA has opened media accreditation for the next SpaceX cargo run to the International Space Station, the agency announced in a news release. The flight is the 35th commercial resupply services mission SpaceX has flown to the orbiting laboratory under contract to NASA.
A Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Dragon cargo spacecraft, loaded with NASA science investigations, consumables for the resident crew, and equipment needed to keep the station running. NASA and SpaceX are currently working toward a launch date no earlier than October.
Accreditation lets reporters cover launch activities on site, a routine step ahead of each station-bound cargo flight. Precise timing typically firms up as prelaunch reviews are completed and the payload manifest is finalized.
Commercial resupply missions are the main logistics line to the ISS, keeping research running and the outpost stocked between crew rotations.
