CRS-33, SpaceX’s 33rd Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA, is targeting liftoff at 2:45 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. A Falcon 9 rocket will send the uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) with more than 5,000 pounds of research, food, and hardware for the orbiting laboratory.
Mission timeline
- Launch: 2:45 a.m. EDT from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral
- Rendezvous and docking: Approximately 7:30 a.m. EDT on Monday, Aug. 25, to the forward port of the ISS Harmony module
- Coverage: Launch coverage available on NASA+ and select streaming platforms; rendezvous and docking coverage begins at 6 a.m. EDT on NASA+ and additional platforms
What Dragon is delivering
The cargo manifest includes science investigations, technology demonstrations, crew provisions, and station maintenance hardware to support ongoing microgravity research and daily operations. The delivery sustains the ISS research cadence that informs future exploration missions and advances Earth-focused benefits such as biomedical studies, materials science, and technology maturation.
Why it matters
Regular cargo flights enable continuous operations aboard the ISS, supplying experiments that test life-support systems, study human health in microgravity, and evaluate technologies applicable to lunar and Martian expeditions. These missions also backstop the station’s consumables and spare parts, preserving a robust schedule for crew time and science utilization.
How to watch
NASA’s live launch coverage is available on NASA+ and select partners, including Netflix and Amazon Prime. Coverage of Dragon’s rendezvous and autonomous docking starts at 6 a.m. EDT on NASA+ and other distribution platforms, leading up to the planned 7:30 a.m. EDT docking.
For official updates and any schedule changes, refer to NASA’s mission post: SpaceX Dragon Cargo Mission Counts Down to Launch.
