SpaceX ready for resupply flight

SpaceX ready to resupply space station - latimes.com: "Hawthorne-based rocket maker SpaceX is poised to return to the International Space Station with its Dragon spacecraft to carry out the first contracted cargo resupply flight in NASA's history.

SpaceX performed a successful demonstration mission to the space station in May, showing NASA that the company could do the job. SpaceX has secured a $1.6-billion contract to carry out 12 such cargo missions, and Sunday's mission would be the first."

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: Inaugural Commercial Re-Supply Contract Flight a Challenge -Aviation Week: "SpaceX CEO Elon Musk sounded a note of caution Friday as the launching of the Hawthorne, Calif.,-based company's first Falcon 9/Dragon mission to the International Space Station under its $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract approached.

"Although I'm hopeful it goes really smoothly, I would like to remind people this is only the second time we are trying to go to the space station," Musk noted. "So, there is certainly a possibility the mission could abort, or something could go wrong. Although we have done everything we can to try to minimize that, it should still be viewed as an early mission."

SpaceX is ready to fly Sunday night | FLORIDA TODAY | floridatoday.com: "The weather forecast is fair for a Sunday evening launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on a mission to deliver cargo to the space station, but conditions get better if liftoff is delayed a day or two.

The company held a Launch Readiness Review that confirmed the Falcon 9 rocket, the Dragon spacecraft and ground systems are ready for liftoff at 8:35 p.m. Sunday. The Dragon is packed with cargo bound for the International Space Station as well as a small communications satellite."