NASA to Highlight Climate Research on Cargo Launch, Sets TV Coverage

From NASA

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 10:22 a.m. EDT Friday, June 10, to launch the agency’s next investigation to monitor climate change to the International Space Station. Flying aboard SpaceX’s 25th commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory is NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT).

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew, including a new climate research investigation.

Live coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Thursday, June 9.

Dragon will carry more than 4,500 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations like EMIT, which will identify the composition of mineral dust from Earth’s arid regions and analyze dust carried through the atmosphere from deserts to see what effects it has on the planet, further advancing NASA’s data contributions to monitoring climate change.

Other investigations include studying the aging of immune cells and the potential to reverse those effects during postflight recovery, an investigation of how sutured wounds heal in microgravity, and a student experiment testing a concrete alternative for potential use in future lunar and Martian habitats.

Arrival to the station is scheduled for 6:20 a.m. Sunday, June 12. Dragon will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines monitoring operations from the station.

The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

The deadline has passed for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch. More information about media accreditation is available by emailing: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.

Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all times Eastern):

Thursday, June 9

2 p.m. – Climate Conversation on NASA TV with the following participants:

• Kate Calvin, NASA chief scientist and climate advisor 
• Dr. Kirt Costello, chief scientist, International Space Station Program, NASA
• Natalie Mahowald, EMIT deputy principal investigator and professor of atmospheric science, Cornell University
• Paula do Vale Pereira, BeaverCube, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A limited number of seats inside the auditorium at Kennedy will be available to on-site journalists on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional journalists wishing to participate may dial in. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

3:30 p.m. – Prelaunch News Conference on NASA TV (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:

• Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA
• Dr. Kirt Costello, chief scientist, International Space Station Program, NASA
• Benji Reed, senior director, Human Spaceflight Programs, SpaceX 
• Arlena Moses, launch weather officer, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron

A limited number of seats inside the auditorium at Kennedy will be available to on-site journalists on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional journalists wishing to participate may dial in. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 9 at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Friday, June 10

10 a.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins

10:22 a.m. – Launch

To participate in the teleconference, media must contact the Kennedy newsroom: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov no later than 11 a.m. on Friday, June 10.

Sunday, June 12

5 a.m. – NASA TV coverage begins for Dragon docking to space station

6:20 a.m. – Docking

NASA TV launch coverage

Live coverage of the launch on NASA TV will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, June 10. For downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, the full mission broadcast can be heard on -1220 and -1240, while the countdown net only can be heard on -1260 and -7135 beginning approximately one hour before the mission broadcast begins.

On launch day, a “clean feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel.

NASA website launch coverage

Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 10 a.m. Friday, June 10, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom: at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs25/

Attend the launch virtually

Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. Registrants will receive mission updates and activities by email. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.

Watch and engage on social media

Let people know you’re following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:

Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab,

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab

Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX resupply missions at:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacex