The 12 additional missions ordered – six each to Northrop Grumman and SpaceX – will provide resupply services to the station through 2026.
As of September 17th, 2024 it was scheduled to launch between Crew-9's undocking in February/March and Soyuz MS-27's launch in March. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/03-final-iss-nac.pdf?emrc=66f2f979dad6f
The Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) is a European facility that will test fundamental physics from the outside of ESA’s Columbus module on the International Space Station. By creating a “network of clocks”, ACES will link its own highly precise timepieces with the most accurate clocks on Earth and compare them to measure the flow of time. According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, gravity affects the passing of time. Experiments on Earth have shown that time flies faster at higher altitudes, such as the tops of mountains, than at sea level. ACES will take this experiment to the next level, making precise measurements on the Space Station as it flies 400 km above Earth. The data gathered by ACES will offer scientists new insights into the relationship between gravity and time, advancing our understanding of fundamental laws of physics.
Targeted SpaceX-32, Feb 2025
According to CNES, which is flying their Pharao atomic clock to the ISS on this Dragon, the launch is now NET April 21.
French space: 10 dates in 2025 not to be missedPharao, an atomic clock in space📅 April 21Cold atom clocks are currently the best operational clocks on Earth. But the weightless environment characteristic of an orbit would make it possible to further increase their accuracy… This is the challenge of the Pharao mission : the French clock of the same name should leave our planet on April 21 as part of the European ACES ( Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space ) mission to be placed in orbit around the Earth on the International Space Station (ISS), at an altitude of 400 km.The Pharao clock will be fixed outside the Station on a balcony of the Columbus module, the European scientific laboratory. It should deviate by at most one second every 300 million years! This extreme accuracy, coupled with the integration of Pharao into a time comparison network, will notably make it possible to verify with increased precision the effects predicted by the theory of general relativity, according to which time slows down near any mass. See you in April for this wonderful history of time!
Do we know which dragon will perform this mission? C209 or C211
A Falcon 9 will launch the CRS-32 resupply mission to the ISS from pad 39A on April 21 around 4 a.m. EDT. The first stage will land back at the Cape about eight minutes after launch.
Media accreditation is open for the next launch to deliver NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station.NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Monday, April 21, to launch the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This launch is the 32nd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency.Credentialing to cover prelaunch and launch activities is open to U.S. media. The application deadline for U.S. citizens is 11:59 p.m., EDT, Friday, April 4. [...]Along with food and essential equipment for the crew, Dragon is delivering a variety of experiments, including a demonstration of refined maneuvers for free-floating robots. Dragon also carries an enhanced air quality monitoring system that could protect crew members on exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and two atomic clocks to examine fundamental physics concepts, such as relativity, and test worldwide synchronization of precision timepieces.
Mission Update: ScienceTaxi BioSpin 1.0 – Countdown to ISS Begins! Our teams in #Luxembourg and #Germany are in full preparation mode for the #HUMB mission – #ScienceTaxi BioSpin 1.0, set to launch in April 2025 onboard the #SpaceX32 ISS resupply mission.For this mission, we are flying 38 #ScienceShells, carrying both #commercial research and customer experiments, alongside critical hardware tests to advance our next-generation space biotechnology platform.This is a major step in making ScienceTaxi BioSpin a scalable solution for life sciences, biotech, and pharmaceutical research in microgravity. A huge thank you to our #teams and #partners e.g. Sierra Space, working tirelessly to make this happen. The future of space research is just getting started – stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to launch! 🚀
A Falcon 9 will launch the CRS-32 resupply mission to the ISS from pad 39A on April 21 at 4:15 a.m. EDT.
The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus and the French space agency CNES invite you to an online media briefing to celebrate the upcoming launch of the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) instrument.Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about this mission and ask their questions by joining an online pre-launch media briefing in English via Webex at 12:00 CEST on Thursday 17 April 2025.ACES is scheduled to launch on Monday 21 April on SpaceX’s Commercial Resupply Service mission 32 (SpX-32). It will travel to the International Space Station in a Cargo Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Once docked to the Station, the Canadian Space Agency’s robotic arm will attach ACES to the exterior of ESA’s Columbus laboratory at a later date, currently planned for 25 April.The briefing will include an introduction, opening remarks and a Q&A with the following experts: • Simon Weinberg, ACES Project Manager, ESA • Patrick Crescence, Project Manager, Airbus • Didier Massonnet, Pharao Project Manager, CNES • Philippe Laurent, Responsible of PHARAO-ACES Activities, Observatoire de Paris
The best of both worlds ACES combines PHARAO’s incredible long-term accuracy with SHM’s exceptional short-term stability, creating an ultra-stable, ultra-precise time signal. SHM provides an extremely precise time signal over short durations, while PHARAO ensures that their time remains correct over long periods. Together, they achieve a level of accuracy so high that ACES would lose just one second in 300 million years. This makes ACES 10 times more precise than the atomic clocks used in today’s global positioning satellites, a breakthrough that could enhance future global navigation, improve fundamental physics experiments and even challenge Einstein’s theory of relativity in space.
NASA and SpaceX are launching the company’s 32nd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station later this month, bringing a host of new research to the orbiting laboratory. Aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft are experiments focused on vision-based navigation, spacecraft air quality, materials for drug and product manufacturing, and advancing plant growth with less reliance on photosynthesis.This and other research conducted aboard the space station advances future space exploration, including missions to the Moon and Mars, and provides many benefits to humanity.Investigations traveling to the space station include:Robotic spacecraft guidanceSmartphone Video Guidance Sensor-2 (SVGS-2) uses the space station’s Astrobee robots to demonstrate using a vision-based sensor developed by NASA to control a formation flight of small satellites. Based on a previous in-space demonstration of the technology, this investigation is designed to refine the maneuvers of multiple robots and integrate the information with spacecraft systems.Potential benefits of this technology include improved accuracy and reliability of systems for guidance, navigation, and control that could be applied to docking crewed spacecraft in orbit and remotely operating multiple robots on the lunar or Martian surface.Protection from particlesDuring spaceflight, especially long-duration missions, concentrations of airborne particles must be kept within ranges safe for crew health and hardware performance. The Aerosol Monitors investigation tests three different air quality monitors in space to determine which is best suited to protect crew health and ensure mission success. The investigation also tests a device for distinguishing between smoke and dust. Aboard the space station, the presence of dust can cause false smoke alarms that require crew member response. Reducing false alarms could save valuable crew time while continuing to protect astronaut safety.Better materials, better drugsThe DNA Nano Therapeutics-Mission 2 produces a special type of molecule formed by DNA-inspired, customizable building blocks known as Janus base nanomaterials. It also evaluates how well the materials reduce joint inflammation and whether they can help regenerate cartilage lost due to arthritis. These materials are less toxic, more stable, and more compatible with living tissues than current drug delivery technologies.Environmental influences such as gravity can affect the quality of these materials and delivery systems. In microgravity, they are larger and have greater uniformity and structural integrity. This investigation could help identify the best formulations and methods for cost-effective in-space production. These nanomaterials also could be used to create novel systems targeting therapy delivery that improves patient outcomes with fewer side effects.Next-generation pharmaceutical nanostructuresThe newest Industrial Crystallization Cassette (ADSEP-ICC) investigation adds capabilities to an existing protein crystallization facility. The cassette can process more sample types, including tiny gold particles used in devices that detect cancer and other diseases or in targeted drug delivery systems. Microgravity makes it possible to produce larger and more uniform gold particles, which improves their use in research and real-life applications of technologies related to human health.Helping plants growRhodium USAFA NIGHT examines how tomato plants respond to microgravity and whether a carbon dioxide replacement can reduce how much space-grown plants depend on photosynthesis. Because photosynthesis needs light, which requires spacecraft power to generate, alternatives would reduce energy use. The investigation also examines whether using supplements increases plant growth on the space station, which has been observed in preflight testing on Earth. In future plant production facilities aboard spacecraft or on celestial bodies, supplements could come from available organic materials such as waste.Understanding how plants adapt to microgravity could help grow food during long-duration space missions or harsh environments on Earth.Atomic clocks in spaceAn ESA (European Space Agency) investigation, Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES), examines fundamental physics concepts such as Einstein’s theory of relativity using two next-generation atomic clocks operated in microgravity. Results have applications to scientific measurement studies, the search for dark matter, and fundamental physics research that relies on highly accurate atomic clocks in space. The experiment also tests a technology for synchronizing clocks worldwide using global navigation satellite networks.
COMMENT =============================================================================COMMENT 73S Launch 098:05:47:15.000 0.0 426.0 410.6COMMENT (0.0) (230.0) (221.7)COMMENT COMMENT 73S Dock 098:09:03:56.000 0.0 425.9 410.5COMMENT (0.0) (230.0) (221.7)COMMENT COMMENT 72S Undock 109:21:55:30.000 0.0 426.3 408.1COMMENT (0.0) (230.2) (220.3)COMMENT COMMENT SpX32 Launch 111:08:15:34.000 0.0 426.3 407.9COMMENT (0.0) (230.2) (220.3)COMMENT COMMENT SpX32 Dock 112:11:47:07.000 0.0 426.2 407.5COMMENT (0.0) (230.1) (220.0)COMMENT COMMENT =============================================================================
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-12-17QuoteSpaceX is targeting Friday, April 11 for a Falcon 9 launch of 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 9:15 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 1:12 a.m. ET on Saturday, April 12.
SpaceX is targeting Friday, April 11 for a Falcon 9 launch of 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 9:15 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 1:12 a.m. ET on Saturday, April 12.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-12-17QuoteSpaceX is targeting Saturday, April 12 for a Falcon 9 launch of 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 8:53 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 12:42 a.m. ET on Sunday, April 13. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available on Sunday, April 13 starting at 8:20 p.m. ET.
SpaceX is targeting Saturday, April 12 for a Falcon 9 launch of 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 8:53 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 12:42 a.m. ET on Sunday, April 13. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available on Sunday, April 13 starting at 8:20 p.m. ET.
