SpaceX CRS-35 Dragon Launches Final Solar Array Upgrade to ISS
· TexaHub · Space & Aerospace
A Falcon 9 lifted SpaceX's CRS-35 cargo Dragon from Cape Canaveral on 13 October, carrying more than 6,300 pounds of supplies, experiments, and the last pair of roll-out solar arrays for the International Space Station.
Mission Overview
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:33 a.m. EDT on 13 October, sending its CRS-35 Dragon cargo spacecraft toward the International Space Station with more than 6,300 pounds of supplies and equipment. The Dragon is expected to dock autonomously at roughly 11 a.m. EDT on 15 October after a 52-hour transit [1].
The Falcon 9 first stage, flying for the eighth time, returned to Cape Canaveral and landed at Landing Zone 40. SpaceX warned that the booster's return could produce sonic booms along parts of Florida's Space Coast [1].
Cargo and Return
The shipment includes the final pair of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSA), which will complete a multi-year upgrade to the station's power system. Science payloads include LambdaVision-1, an artificial retina manufacturing experiment; Stellar Spheroids, studying 3D heart tissue development; and MINDS, which uses brain organoids to investigate neurological inflammation linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease [1].
The Dragon is expected to remain docked for about a month before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean in mid-November. Return cargo will include scientific samples and a failed Canadarm2 joint for analysis on Earth [2].
Sources
[1] SpaceX CRS-35 Launch Could Bring Sonic Booms, 'Space Jellyfish' to Central Florida — FOX 35 Orlando, 12 Oct 2026
[2] SpaceX Set to Launch Dragon Resupply Mission to ISS from Florida — ClickOrlando, 12 Oct 2026