SpaceX to launch 6,300-pound cargo mission to ISS

NASA and SpaceX are scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 6:33 a.m. EDT. This CRS-35 mission marks the 35th commercial resupply flight conducted by SpaceX under contract with NASA.

The Dragon spacecraft will transport more than 6,300 pounds of supplies and research hardware to the International Space Station. Key cargo includes the final pair of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs) intended to increase the station's energy capacity. Scientific payloads include equipment for manufacturing artificial retinas, 3D heart tissue models for drug testing, materials for studying glass production in microgravity, and brain organoids to assist in neurodegenerative disease research.

If the launch is successful, the Dragon capsule is expected to dock with the Harmony module of the ISS on Thursday. Observers along the U.S. East Coast may be able to witness a “jellyfish” effect, where sunlight illuminates the rocket's exhaust plume against a dark sky, as well as a sighting of the International Space Station.