[The livestream is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EDT. Please refresh the page if you do not see the player above]Elon Musk'sThe company is targeting 1:29 p.m. EDT for liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission, called CRS-22, will see SpaceX's Cargo Dragon spacecraft carry more than 7,300 pounds of research and supplies to the International Space Station. If the launch delays, a backup opportunity is available on Friday.
During a pre-launch press conference, SpaceX director of Dragon mission management Sarah Walker noted that CRS-22 is the fifth Dragon capsule the company has sent to the International Space Station in the past 12 months. The company has launched multiple crew and cargo missions in the past year, with a full slate in the year ahead as well.
SpaceX's current pace puts it on track to conduct about 40 launches this year, which would easily top its annual record of 26 launches set last year. It has launched 118 Falcon 9 rockets to date, landed 78 boosters, and reused boosters for 61 missions.SpaceX