SpaceX Dragon is already in space. The cargo capsule is set to dock at the International Space Station early Tuesday morning.
SpaceX Dragon Capsule Docks at International Space Stations
After a two-day weather delay, SpaceX launched its 28th cargo mission to the International Space Station for NASA on Monday, June 5. At 11:47 a.m., a robotic Dragon cargo capsule was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the direction of the orbiting lab. EDT (1547 GMT) from the Florida-based NASA Kennedy Space Center, according to Space.com.
Nine minutes later, the first stage of the Falcon 9 returned to Earth and precisely landed on the SpaceX droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was positioned off the coast of Florida. According to a mission description from SpaceX, this specific rocket had successfully launched and landed five times.
About 12 minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 upper stage successfully delivered the unmanned Dragon capsule into low Earth orbit.
The spacecraft will travel 18 hours to the International Space Station (ISS) and dock at 5:50 am on Tuesday, June 6. (0950 GMT) EDT. When the time comes, you can witness that encounter online.
About 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms) of supplies for scientific research and food for the station's personnel are being transported by Dragon. NASA transferred some of the intended cargo for Northrop Grumman's Cygnus ISS resupply vehicle, NG-19, to Dragon to prevent the space station's supply from dropping too low due to the mission's delayed launch.
NASA Making Up For The Delay
Even though today's launch was initially planned for Saturday (June 3), SpaceX announced a 24-hour delay before liftoff, citing the need to "allow more time for vehicle preparations and for weather conditions to improve," according to an update on Twitter. Strong winds in the rocket recovery zone were the reason SpaceX gave on Sunday, June 4, for a further one-day delay.
NASA's ISS Chief Scientist Kirt Costello stated that CRS-28 is making up for the delays we experienced with our NG Cygnus vehicle arriving at Station at a prelaunch news briefing on Tuesday (May 30). To ensure that the crew has enough supplies to last until the end of the year, they send a large amount of extra logistics team supplies.
The scientific investigation carried out by CRS-28 also adds additional experiments to the ISS.
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In addition to restocking supplies for more than 30 ongoing studies, the scientific research on board CRS-28 adds new experiments to the International Space Station. Some of the brand-new scientific investigations that will be launched on this mission include the CLINGER technology demonstration for autonomous space station docking systems, a study on blue energy thunderstorm discharge, and microgravity-induced DNA mutation of telomeres.
Additionally, the CRS-28 Dragon carries six cubesats, all but one of which are student-run initiatives from the Canadian CubeSat program of the Canadian Space Agency. The Aerospace Corporation provides the sixth in collaboration with the Space Systems Command, Air Force Research Laboratory, and Aerospace Corporation. Its name is Moonlighter, and it will be the foundation for an interplanetary cybersecurity hacking competition.
At the end of its stay at the station, SpaceX's cargo Dragon, built to be reusable, will return research materials from over 34 investigations carried aboard the space station. Like its crewed cousin, the cargo Dragon returns to Earth for parachute-assisted ocean splashdowns.
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