With over 5,500 pounds of supplies on board, the uncrewed Dragon spacecraft – on top of a Falcon 9 rocket – achieved liftoff at 2:48 a.m. EDT on May 4, 2019, according to NASA.
Kenny Todd, International Space Station Operations and Integration manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, during a post-launch press conference, said: “If you have to be up, I can’t think of a better reason than to see one of these launches — it was absolutely spectacular. We’re really excited to get Dragon on board in a couple of days.”
The spacecraft was originally expected to launch earlier this week but was delayed due to issues including an electrical problem at the space station, according to CNN.
The rescheduled launch on Friday ended up being beset by electrical problems, too. This time it was an electrical problem on the SpaceX drone ship, “Of Course I Still Love You.” This issue forced the launch to be pushed back another 24 hours.
Saturday’s launch was a breathtaking event, as usual. About eight minutes after launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed successfully on the drone ship, while the Dragon spacecraft continued on its way to the ISS. It is expected to arrive at the space station in the early morning of Monday, May 6.
New rocket and previously used Dragon
The Dragon cargo ship used on this flight has seen action before, on the CRS-12 mission back in August 2017. However, the Falcon 9 rocket used today was brand new. This is all the more reason why it was important to have the drone ship ready so the booster rocket could be recovered.
“Quite frankly we have a vested interest in this booster,” Todd said. “The intent is for us to use it for (CRS) 18, for sure, and potentially 19. From our standpoint, it made a difference.” Overall, this will be the company’s fifth launch of 2019, and SpaceX’s 70th launch of the Falcon 9 rocket.
