SpaceX capsule set to blast off to ISS with the first space espresso machine - and hopes its rocket with land itself on a barge
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A SpaceX rocket is poised for launch today, carrying the unmanned Dragon spacecraft and the first space espresso machine to the ISS
A SpaceX rocket is poised for launch today, carrying the unmanned Dragon spacecraft and the first space espresso machine to the ISS.
Liftoff of the 208ft (63 metre) tall Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 4:33pm EDT/2033GMT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The launch will be the easy part. After lift off, SpaceX will attempt to guide the bottom stage of the rocket upright onto a platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
The main aim of today's flight is to deliver more than 4,300lb (1,950 kg) of food, clothing, equipment and science experiments to the station, which flies about 260 miles (418 km) above Earth.
On board is an experimental espresso machine intended for International Space Station astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy.
Once the capsule carrying its cargo is released, beginning a two-day journey to the International Space Station, the rocket's first stage will flip around and fire engines to steer its descent.
It will then deploy landing legs to touch down on a customised barge stationed about 200 miles (322 km) off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida.
At a pre-launch press conference on Sunday, SpaceX Vice President Hans Koenigsmann put the odds of a successful landing at 75 or 80 per cent.
Nasa this morning said: 'The weather remains the primary concern for today with the most recent report calling for a 60 per cent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time.'
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During a previous landing attempt in January, the rocket ran out of hydraulic fluid for its steering fins, causing it to crash into the platform.
A second attempt in February was called off because of high seas, but the rocket successfully ran through its pre-programmed landing sequence and hovered vertically above the waves before splashing down and breaking apart.
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The launch will be the easy part. After liftoff, SpaceX will attempt to guide the bottom stage of the rocket upright onto a platform in the Atlantic Ocean
Liftoff of the 208ft (63 metre) tall Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 4:33pm EDT/2033GMT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
'It looks right now like weather is significantly better. We did also upgrade the drone ship so it can keep position better,' Koenigsmann said.
After demonstrating a successful ocean landing, SpaceX intends to bring its rockets back to a landing pad at the launch site so the boosters can be refurbished and reflown, slashing launch costs.
'It's a long-term goal,' Koenigsmann said.
As well as the espresso machine, the SpaceX Dragon supply ship also holds experiments for Nasa's one-year space station resident Scott Kelly, who moved in a couple weeks ago.
Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko also will remain on board until March 2016.
This will be the California-based SpaceX company's seventh station supply run since 2012, all from Cape Canaveral.
On Monday a version of the coffee maker is scheduled for launch to the International Space Station aboard a supply capsule which will also include 4,000 pounds of food, science research and other equipment
This time, the wind stayed within safety limits and everything else went SpaceX's way - at least for launch
Elon Musk - whose Southern California company delivers supplies to the International Space Station and aims to haul astronauts as well in two years - wants to start retrieving and reusing his rockets to save time and money.
First-stage boosters normally just slam into the Atlantic and sink.
Musk recently unveiled the images of the Falcon 9 failed landing after persuasion on Twitter by the game pioneer behind Doom, John Carmack.
The images show the rocket approaching the barge following last month's attempt. After it fails to reduce its speed, the rocket is seen crashing at an angle and exploding.
Billionaire Musk described the event simply as a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly'.
SpaceX is one of two companies hired by Nasa to fly cargo to the station following the retirement of the space shuttles.
As well as a recently extended 15-flight, $2 billion contract with Nasa, SpaceX is working on a passenger version of the Dragon capsule and has dozens of contracts to deliver commercial communications satellites into orbit.
The company also is working on a heavy-lift version of the Falcon rocket, which uses 27 engines, compared to the nine currently flying.
The Falcon Heavy is expected to make its first test flight late this year.
At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to boost a Dragon capsule on its fifth commercial resupply mission
Saturday's mission was the group's first to put the stage on an autonomous landing platform at sea, which was held in position using deep-sea oil rigs. Pictured is an image of the fuel and oxygen combining in an explosion
Once the coffee is brewed, it's dispensed in a pouch, which astronauts drink straight from using a straw
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