New Delhi:
SpaceX is all set to launch an unmanned cargo ship toward the International Space Station on Monday 12:31 pm (1631 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida..
The liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Dragon cargo ship includes a super-computer that could direct astronauts on future deep-space missions.
The weather forecast is 70 percent favorable for launch.
The mission is the 12th official trip for SpaceX, which has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to supply the astronauts living in orbit over 20 such back-and-forth journeys.
It is said that about 10 minutes after launch, the rocket will attempt to make a controlled landing back on solid ground at Cape Canaveral, as part of SpaceX's ongoing effort to re-use rocket components after each take-off.
If Monday's launch is delayed for any reason, the next attempt would have to wait until next week.
The illustrated timeline below outlines the launch sequence for the Falcon 9 flight with the Dragon spacecraft. It does not include times for the experimental descent and landing attempt of the first stage booster at Landing Zone 1, a former Atlas missile launch facility about 9 miles (15 kilometers) south of pad 39A.
Three ignitions of the first stage engines after separation will steer the booster back toward Florida’s Space Coast from the northeast. Here are key times for the landing maneuvers:
T+plus 2 minutes, 41 seconds: First stage boost-back burn begins
T+plus 6 minutes, 9 seconds: First stage entry burn begins
T+plus 7 minutes, 43 seconds: First stage landing
