Watch SpaceX Launch Research & Supplies to the International Space Station

Starting at 1 p.m. EDT (17:00 UTC), Thurs., June 3, tune in for coverage of the 22nd SpaceX cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled at 1:29 p.m. EDT (17:29 UTC) for the Falcon 9 rocket and Cargo Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  What's on board? Science heading to the space station includes an experiment that could help develop better treatments for kidney disease on Earth, and a study of cotton root systems that could identify varieties of plants that require less water and pesticides. A study of bobtail squid will examine the effects of spaceflight on interactions between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts, while another will examine the adaptation of microscopic tardigrades (water bears) to conditions in low-Earth orbit, which could help us better understand stress factors affecting humans in space. Dragon’s unpressurized trunk section will deliver the first two of six new roll-out solar arrays, based on a design tested on the station in 2017. A robotic arm will extract them and astronauts will install them during a series of spacewalks this summer.