SpaceX and NASA Set May 7 as New Launch Target

SpaceX announced today that May 7 is the new date it has chosen to attempt its second test launch as part of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. 

The Space X announcement in the form of an email said “NASA and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station have approved SpaceX’s request to set May 7th as the target launch date for the upcoming COTS 2 mission.”   NASA later issued its own press release quoting NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Bill Gerstenmaier as saying:  “We appreciate that SpaceX is taking the necessary time to help ensure the success of this historic flight. We will continue to work with SpaceX in preparing for the May 7 launch to the International Space Station.”

NASA refers to the mission as C2+ — the second COTS test flight that combines objectives from the third (and last) test flight at SpaceX’s request.  SpaceX refers to it as COTS 2.  The goal is not only to launch the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the vicinity of the International Space Station (ISS), but to actually berth with the ISS and transfer supplies and equipment.  That latter objective was to be part of the third test flight, but SpaceX convinced NASA to let it try on this flight.