NASA and SpaceX are preparing for a rocket launch to the International Space Station later this week.

  • SpaceX to launch cargo to space station this Friday
  • Another launch next month will be test flight of Falcon Heavy
  • Elon Musk says Falcon Heavy payload will be his Tesla Roadster

The launch is scheduled for Friday. The launch window opens at 1:20 p.m.

The rocket will carry almost 5,000 pounds of cargo, including science and research projects

The Dragon capsule will spend a month attached to the ISS.

Next month, the CEO of SpaceX is planning to launch the company’s most powerful rocket yet, with a Tesla vehicle on board.

Elon Musk says for the first time, the Falcon Heavy rocket will launch from the Kennedy Space Center. Musk says the Falcon Heavy will have double the thrust of the next largest rocket.

Because it is a test launch, Musk says the rocket's payload will be his midnight-cherry Tesla Roadster, playing David Bowie's Space Oddity.

Its destination is Mars orbit. Musk is also the founder of Tesla.

We'll carry both launches live on Spectrum News 13 and Spectrum Bay News 9.