A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched NASA's 35th commercial resupply mission on Oct. 13, 2026, carrying over 6,300 pounds of cargo, including the final pair of ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays and various scientific experiments.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launched on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch marked the company’s 35th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station for NASA. According to NASA, the mission lifted off at 6:33 a.m. EDT, carrying more than 6,300 pounds of supplies and hardware bound for the orbiting laboratory.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is tasked with delivering new scientific experiments, general cargo, and the final pair of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays. NASA states that these final arrays will complete the space station’s power system augmentation. This upgrade is designed to boost available electricity for research, operations, and the station’s safe, controlled deorbit. Astronauts are scheduled to install the arrays during a series of spacewalks planned for later this fall.
Among the cargo, Dragon is delivering several new experiments focused on health and materials science. These include hardware to manufacture artificial retinas in microgravity, which could help restore vision for patients on Earth. The mission also carries 3D heart tissue models intended to advance large-scale drug testing on future space missions.
Additional scientific payloads include materials to study how a new type of glass is formed in microgravity. The spacecraft also carries brain organoids, which researchers hope will uncover potential treatment targets for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis. NASA notes that these investigations are part of hundreds of studies conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in areas such as biology, biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science.
The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, to the space-facing port of the space station’s Harmony module. NASA will stream rendezvous and docking coverage beginning at 9:15 a.m. through various platforms.
The spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until mid-November. At that time, it will depart and return to Earth with time-critical research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of California.
The delivery of the final solar arrays completes a critical power upgrade for the International Space Station, ensuring sufficient electricity for ongoing research and future deorbit operations. The scientific experiments aboard this mission, ranging from artificial retina manufacturing to brain organoid studies, aim to benefit people on Earth while laying the groundwork for NASA’s deep space missions, including the Artemis program’s goal to send astronauts to the Moon.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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