Timeline for SpaceXs next station cargo launch

SpaceX';s Falcon 9 rocket will go from Cape Canaveral to low Earth orbit in 10 minutes Friday with a Dragon capsule heading for the International Space Station carrying more than 4,800 pounds of supplies and experiments.

Liftoff is set for 1536 GMT (10:36 a.m. EST) Friday from Cape Canaveral';s Complex 40 launch pad.

It will be the 45th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket, and SpaceX';s 17th launch of the year. Working under contract to NASA, Friday';s launch will be the 13th of least 26 SpaceX resupply missions to depart for the space station.

The illustrated timeline below outlines the launch sequence for the Falcon 9 flight with the Dragon spacecraft. It does not include times for the experimental descent and landing attempt of the first stage booster at Landing Zone 1, a former Atlas missile launch facility about 6 miles (9 kilometers) south of pad 40.

Three ignitions of the first stage engines after separation will steer the booster back toward Florida';s Space Coast from the northeast. Here are key times for the landing maneuvers:

T+plus 2 minutes, 38 seconds: First stage boost-back burn begins
T+plus 6 minutes, 7 seconds:Â*First stage entry burn begins
T+plus 7 minutes, 46 seconds:Â*First stage landing

Touchdown at Landing Zone 1 should occur during a landing burn with only the first stage';s center Merlin 1D engine firing.

T-0:00:00: Liftoff
After the rocket's nine Merlin engines pass an automated health check, hold-down clamps will release the Falcon 9 booster for liftoff from pad 40.

T+0:01:10: Mach 1
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Mach 1, the speed of sound.

T+0:01:18: Max Q
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure.

T+0:02:21: MECO
The Falcon 9's nine Merlin 1D engines shut down.

T+0:02:25: Stage 1 Separation
The Falcon 9's first stage separates from the second stage moments after MECO.

T+0:02:33: Second Stage Ignition
The second stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine ignites for an approximately 7-minute burn to put the Dragon spacecraft into orbit.

T+0:09:00: SECO
The second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket shuts down after reaching a target orbit with a low point of approximately 124 miles (200 kilometers), a high point of approximately 223 miles (360 kilometers) and an inclination of 51.6 degrees. The second stage will reignite for a de-orbit burn soon after deploying the Dragon spacecraft, aiming for a destructive re-entry over the Southern Ocean south of Australia.

T+0:10:00: Dragon Separation
The Dragon spacecraft separates from the Falcon 9 rocket';s second stage.

T+0:11:00: Solar Arrays Deployed
The Dragon spacecraft';s two solar array wings extend one-at-a-time to a span of 54 feet (16.5 meters).

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/12/1...argo-launch-2/