SpaceX CRS-35 carries the ISS's final new solar arrays and new microgravity science

SpaceX and NASA are targeting Tuesday, October 13, at 6:33 a.m. EDT (10:33 UTC) to launch CRS-35, the 35th cargo mission SpaceX flies to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. A Falcon 9 rocket will lift a robotic Dragon capsule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

What's on board

Dragon is carrying about 6,300 pounds (2,860 kg) of supplies, equipment and science. The headline item is the final pair of ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). These flexible arrays roll open in space and are installed in front of the station's original panels. Six are already in place; this pair completes the upgrade of the station's power system. Astronauts will install them during future spacewalks.

According to NASA, the extra power supports the station's critical operations, including its eventual safe, controlled deorbit at the end of its life.

The science

NASA highlighted several experiments flying on CRS-35:

• Artificial retinas built layer by layer in microgravity, aimed at helping restore vision for patients with retinal diseases.
• 3D heart tissue models, to see whether microgravity helps them form blood-vessel networks for disease research and drug testing.
• A study of how a new type of glass made from non-traditional elements forms without gravity.
• Brain organoids that could reveal treatment targets for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.

Timeline

If everything goes to plan, Dragon will dock autonomously on Thursday, October 15, at about 11 a.m. EDT (15:00 UTC), at the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module. It will stay for about a month before returning to Earth with experiments and hardware, splashing down under parachutes in the Pacific Ocean off California.

Why it matters

Completing the iROSA installation is a milestone for the ISS in its final years, and cargo flights like this one keep long-running research going. Launch times can slip because of weather or technical issues, so check NASA or SpaceX for the latest status.