• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechSpaceX

SpaceX Slated for First Space Station Flight Since June Rocket Failure

By
Clay Dillow
Clay Dillow
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Clay Dillow
Clay Dillow
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 18, 2016, 1:08 PM ET
Courtesy of SpaceX

SpaceX will resume resupply runs to the International Space Station in early April, ending a nine month hiatus that followed a June 2015 launch failure in which an ISS-bound Falcon 9 rocket exploded mid-flight. Today NASA confirmed an April 8 target launch date for SpaceX’s eighth ISS resupply run—a run which will also culminate in yet another attempted landing of SpaceX’s first stage rocket booster.

The company’s last attempt at resupplying the ISS ended just two minutes after liftoff, when the Falcon 9 ferrying one of SpaceX’s robotic Dragon capsules and a whole lot of cargo disintegrated in flight. The mishap—SpaceX’s first total failure since it began flying missions for NASA—grounded SpaceX for several months, though it has flown three successful missions since.

One of those missions culminated in the successful landing and recovery of the rocket’s first stage booster, which guided itself back to a controlled touchdown at Cape Canaveral, Fla., just a few miles from where the rocket had lifted off. SpaceX has also attempted several booster stage landings on a robotic drone ship out at sea, the most recent just earlier this month.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

That attempt, like several others before it, proved unsuccessful when the rocket made a hard landing on the drone ship. Due to the particular nature of that mission, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk had previously tempered expectations, saying that the landing attempt had a low chance of success. But following that hard landing Musk expressed optimism that the “next flight has a good chance.”

Right now it’s unclear if that landing attempt would be on dry land or at sea. Because the mission will launch from Cape Canaveral (rather than SpaceX’s West Coast launchpad at Vandenberg Air Force base), SpaceX can choose either option, as Cape Canaveral is equipped with the proper facilities for a terrestrial landing.

What is certain about the mission is that it will be carrying some interesting cargo. Aside from supplies to sustain both the crew and its various scientific pursuits, the Dragon capsule will ferry an inflatable space habitat built by Bigelow Aerospace that will be attached to the space station and expanded for testing. Once inflated, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module—or BEAM—will provide more than 550 cubic feet of living space to astronauts and serve as a test bed for future inflatable space habitat technologies.

For more about SpaceX, watch:

When it decouples from the ISS and returns to Earth, the Dragon capsule will also be carrying some important cargo on the way back down. The biological samples collected by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly—who just returned to Earth after nearly a year aboard the ISS—will be packed into the capsule and sent back down with it, allowing scientists to examine Kelly’s blood, urine, saliva, and other bodily expendables for clues about the effects of long-term space habitation on the human body.

As such, the launch is a big deal for both NASA and SpaceX. But an even more important mission is headed skyward as soon as 5:26 p.m. ET today. If all goes as planned, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka are slated to launch toward the space station from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. They are scheduled to arrive at the ISS just after 11:00 p.m., from where they’ll undoubtedly be watching SpaceX’s upcoming resupply run with great personal interest.

About the Author
By Clay Dillow
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Big TechStreaming
Trump warns Netflix-Warner deal may pose antitrust ‘problem’
By Hadriana Lowenkron, Se Young Lee and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago
Big TechOpenAI
OpenAI goes from stock market savior to burden as AI risks mount
By Ryan Vlastelica and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago
AIData centers
HP’s chief commercial officer predicts the future will include AI-powered PCs that don’t share data in the cloud
By Nicholas GordonDecember 7, 2025
9 hours ago
Future of WorkJamie Dimon
Jamie Dimon says even though AI will eliminate some jobs ‘maybe one day we’ll be working less hard but having wonderful lives’
By Jason MaDecember 7, 2025
13 hours ago
CryptoCryptocurrency
So much of crypto is not even real—but that’s starting to change
By Pete Najarian and Joe BruzzesiDecember 7, 2025
18 hours ago
Elon Musk
Big TechSpaceX
SpaceX to offer insider shares at record-setting $800 billion valuation
By Edward Ludlow, Loren Grush, Lizette Chapman, Eric Johnson and BloombergDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Real Estate
The 'Great Housing Reset' is coming: Income growth will outpace home-price growth in 2026, Redfin forecasts
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Nvidia CEO says data centers take about 3 years to construct in the U.S., while in China 'they can build a hospital in a weekend'
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The most likely solution to the U.S. debt crisis is severe austerity triggered by a fiscal calamity, former White House economic adviser says
By Jason MaDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says Europe has a 'real problem’
By Katherine Chiglinsky and BloombergDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook for the metaverse. Four years and $70 billion in losses later, he’s moving on
By Eva RoytburgDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Supreme Court to reconsider a 90-year-old unanimous ruling that limits presidential power on removing heads of independent agencies
By Mark Sherman and The Associated PressDecember 7, 2025
15 hours ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.