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SpaceX Dragon resupply mission launches today - Space News (May 12, 2026)
Published 1 week, 2 days ago
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Episode Transcript
SpaceX Dragon resupply mission launches today
Let's start with what's happening right now, today. SpaceX is launching a cargo dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of their commercial resupply services contract. The mission, called CRS-34, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida with a launch window that opened at seven-sixteen PM Eastern time. The Dragon spacecraft is carrying about sixty-five hundred pounds of science equipment and supplies to astronauts aboard the station. The cargo includes biology experiments and instruments for monitoring space weather, which helps scientists better understand and predict the effects of solar activity on our satellites and power grids. Dragon will dock to the Harmony module of the space station tomorrow morning and will return to Earth in mid-June, bringing back research samples and equipment for analysis.
NASA Psyche spacecraft approaches Mars for gravity assist
Moving from cargo missions to something even more dramatic, NASA's Psyche spacecraft is about to pull off a pretty impressive maneuver. On May fifteenth, just three days from now, Psyche will skim just twenty-eight hundred miles above the surface of Mars at over twelve thousand miles per hour. This isn't a mistake or a collision course. It's a carefully planned gravity assist maneuver, which essentially means Mars' gravity will act like a cosmic catapult to slingshot the spacecraft deeper into the solar system. This gravity assist saves precious fuel that the spacecraft will need for the long journey to its real destination, the asteroid Psyche in the main asteroid belt. The spacecraft won't just zip by though. The mission team will use this close approach as an opportunity to test and calibrate the spacecraft's instruments on Mars, getting a practice run before they need to do detailed observations of the asteroid when they arrive around twenty twenty-nine.
Massive
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Today's topics:
SpaceX Dragon resupply mission launches today - SpaceX launched the CRS-34 Dragon cargo spacecraft from Cape Canaveral to deliver 6,500 pounds of science equipment and supplies to the International Space Station.
NASA Psyche spacecraft approaches Mars for gravity assist - NASA's Psyche spacecraft will perform a gravity assist maneuver by flying 2,800 miles above Mars on May 15, using the planet's gravity to redirect its trajectory toward the metal-rich asteroid Psyche.
Massive asteroid discoveries from Vera Rubin Observatory - The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has submitted over 11,000 newly discovered asteroids to the International Astronomical Union, including 33 previously unknown near-Earth objects, marking the largest single batch of asteroid discoveries in the past year.
May skywatching opportunities include meteor shower and blue moon - May 2026 offers excellent skywatching opportunities including the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaking May 5-6, a Moon and Venus conjunction on May 18, and a rare Blue Moon on May 31.
Episode Transcript
SpaceX Dragon resupply mission launches today
Let's start with what's happening right now, today. SpaceX is launching a cargo dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of their commercial resupply services contract. The mission, called CRS-34, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida with a launch window that opened at seven-sixteen PM Eastern time. The Dragon spacecraft is carrying about sixty-five hundred pounds of science equipment and supplies to astronauts aboard the station. The cargo includes biology experiments and instruments for monitoring space weather, which helps scientists better understand and predict the effects of solar activity on our satellites and power grids. Dragon will dock to the Harmony module of the space station tomorrow morning and will return to Earth in mid-June, bringing back research samples and equipment for analysis.
NASA Psyche spacecraft approaches Mars for gravity assist
Moving from cargo missions to something even more dramatic, NASA's Psyche spacecraft is about to pull off a pretty impressive maneuver. On May fifteenth, just three days from now, Psyche will skim just twenty-eight hundred miles above the surface of Mars at over twelve thousand miles per hour. This isn't a mistake or a collision course. It's a carefully planned gravity assist maneuver, which essentially means Mars' gravity will act like a cosmic catapult to slingshot the spacecraft deeper into the solar system. This gravity assist saves precious fuel that the spacecraft will need for the long journey to its real destination, the asteroid Psyche in the main asteroid belt. The spacecraft won't just zip by though. The mission team will use this close approach as an opportunity to test and calibrate the spacecraft's instruments on Mars, getting a practice run before they need to do detailed observations of the asteroid when they arrive around twenty twenty-nine.
Massive