A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a robotic Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station before sunrise on Tuesday, NASA and Space.com reported. NASA put liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:33 a.m. EDT, while Space.com gave the time as 6:35 a.m. About nine minutes later, Dragon separated from the rocket's upper stage, NASA said. "Dragon separation confirmed," SpaceX posted on X.

The flight is SpaceX's 35th cargo run to the station for NASA, known as CRS-35. SpaceX also said on X that the rocket's first stage landed at Landing Zone 40, back near the launch site.

The capsule carries more than 6,300 pounds of supplies, according to NASA. In its trunk is the final pair of new roll-out solar arrays, which will boost power on the aging station, Spaceflight Now reported. Astronauts plan to install them on spacewalks later this fall, NASA said. The capsule also holds a clamshell case that will bring home a failed joint from the station's robotic arm, Spaceflight Now reported.

There is plenty of science on board, too. NASA said Dragon carries hardware to make artificial retinas in weightlessness, which could one day help restore vision for patients on Earth. It also carries 3D heart tissue models for drug testing, materials to study how a new type of glass forms, and brain organoids, tiny lab-grown clusters of brain cells. Researchers hope the organoids will reveal treatment targets for diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.

Dragon is set to dock on its own to the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module at about 11 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 15, NASA, Space.com and Spaceflight Now reported. This capsule, known as C211, is making its fourth trip to the station, and the first-stage booster, B1096, was flying for the eighth time, Spaceflight Now reported.

The capsule will stay about a month and then splash down in the Pacific Ocean off California, bringing science back home, Space.com reported. Dragon is the only cargo ship now flying that can return gear to Earth. The others burn up in the atmosphere when their work is done.

What we know: Dragon launched Tuesday morning, separated from the rocket and is headed for a Thursday docking with more than 6,300 pounds of cargo.
What we don't: Whether news outlets will confirm the booster landing that SpaceX reported, and the exact liftoff time, since NASA and Space.com differ by two minutes.