Missions

SpaceX CRS-35 Launches Oct. 13 with Solar Arrays, Science

NASA and SpaceX are targeting Oct. 13 for the 35th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station, carrying the final set of roll-out solar arrays and biomedical research payloads.

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SpaceX's next Dragon flight to the International Space Station is scheduled for Oct. 13. NASA reports a launch time of 6:33 a.m. Eastern. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft will lift off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

More than 6,300 pounds of cargo is packed inside the Dragon. Among the payload are the final pieces of the International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays, completing a power upgrade. The spacecraft also carries hardware to manufacture artificial retinas in microgravity, 3D heart tissue models to advance drug testing, materials to study glass formation, and brain organoids that could help research into Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.

According to NASA, the Dragon will dock autonomously around 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, to the space-facing port of the Harmony module. The spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the station until mid-November, then return to Earth and splash down off the California coast.

NASA's launch coverage begins at 6:15 a.m. on Oct. 13, with docking coverage starting at 9:15 a.m. on Oct. 15. Both are available on NASA's website and NASA+.

  • CRS-35
  • Falcon 9
  • ISS
  • research
  • solar arrays
  • SpaceX

About Dev Malhotra

Dev Malhotra covers launches and spaceflight and runs the Launch Board. Before joining in 2026, he spent nine years as a test engineer for an aerospace contractor at Cape Canaveral, working on engine tests and launch-pad ground systems. He has a BS in aerospace engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is based in Cocoa Beach, Florida. He has watched more than 200 launches in person.