Good evening from RF Mission Control!
As of this writing we are just about 24 hours away from the launch of the CRS-8 mission being carried out by SpaceX. CRS-8 will be the first CRS mission to the ISS since the ill-fated CRS-7, and stowed in Dragon's trunk will be BEAM; a small Bigelow inflatable module to be attached to the station. The first stage, provided the barge is go to support a landing, will attempt to land downrange on Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY).
Be sure to follow this thread for updates throughout the day.
Launch Details
Launch Date: 4:43:00PM EST April 8, 2016
Launch Location: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Manufacturer: Space X
Rocket: Falcon 9
Spacecraft: Dragon
Live Stream Link
Payload Details
The flight is scheduled to deliver the first expandable module to the station, called The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM). It is expected to perform at least two years of observation and testing. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an experimental expandable space station module being developed by Bigelow Aerospace, under contract to NASA, for use as a temporary module on the International Space Station (ISS) from 2016 to 2017. Bigelow has plans to build a second BEAM module as an airlock for the Bigelow Commercial Space Station.
Experimental Landing Sequence
Following the separation of the second stage, the first stage rocket will begin its trajectory to land on the autonomous barge OCISLY. This is an experimental procedure and will have no effect on the primary mission success.
Closing Remarks
Alright folks! This is the big one. There is a lot on the line here. The previous supply mission carried out by SpaceX (CRS-7) was a total mission loss of rocket and payload. To add to the pressure, SpaceX competitor United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully delivered their payload to the ISS late last month. As of this post weather is a 90% go for launch tomorrow. From what I have gathered, the mission profile for this particular launch offers favorable landing conditions. This is the launch to watch! This is history in the making for the future of space travel.
While SpaceX has landed on a launch pad before, if they are successful tomorrow, it will be the first time anyone has delivered a payload to low earth orbit and then landed on a moving landing platform at sea. Did you miss the landing in December? Watch this video and get excited! I will see you folks tomorrow!
