New Jersey residents who rise early Tuesday may be able to see both a SpaceX rocket heading to the International Space Station and the station itself overhead.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting a 6:33 a.m. liftoff on Oct. 13 for the CRS-35 mission, SpaceX’s 35th commercial resupply flight to the station. A Falcon 9 will launch a Dragon spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying more than 6,300 pounds of supplies, experiments and equipment, including the final set of roll-out solar arrays for the station. A backup window is 6:08 a.m. Wednesday.
Clear skies could let East Coast viewers, including in New Jersey, see a “space jellyfish,” a bright, cloud-like exhaust plume lit by sunlight while the ground is still dark. Residents reported the effect after a launch in August, from the Jersey Shore to Hackensack, about 15 minutes after liftoff.
NASA’s Spot the Station app forecasts an ISS pass over New Jersey starting around 6:34 a.m., visible for about eight minutes and reaching 39 degrees above the horizon. It looks like a bright star or plane moving steadily, without flashing. Dragon is expected to dock around 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.











