After launching at 8:44 p.m. EDT Thursday, NASA and Space.com said that a SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft began traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) with more than 5,800 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and other cargo, including equipment to support approximately 40 ongoing research investigations.
For the company's 25th cargo mission for NASA, the spacecraft was launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. It is anticipated to dock at the ISS at roughly 11:20 a.m. EDT on Saturday. The arrival of the spacecraft will be broadcasted on NASA Television, the agency's website, and the NASA app at 10 a.m. EDT. The SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft will stay at ISS for a month.
Some of the Science Experiments That SpaceX Dragon Is Delivering to ISS
BeaverCube - In this educational mission, high school students will learn aerospace science by designing a CubeSat. To measure cloud properties, ocean surface temperatures, and ocean color, and in order to research the Earth's climate and weather systems, BeaverCube will house one visible and two infrared imagers.
Biopolymer Research for In-Situ Capabilities - Using "in situ" materials similar to lunar regolith or Martian dust, a biopolymer concrete investigation will be conducted to learn how the construction material forms in microgravity.
Dynamics of Microbiomes in Space - The Division of Biological and Physical Sciences of NASA is sponsoring it. It investigates how metabolic interactions in communities of soil microbes are impacted by microgravity. This study focuses on the microbial communities that break down chitin, an organic carbon polymer found naturally on Earth.
Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) - The Southern California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA developed it. It makes use of NASA image spectroscopic technology to study the mineral composition of dust in arid areas of the planet. For the purpose of creating maps of the mineral composition in the places on Earth where dust is produced, the investigation will gather pictures for a whole year. Such mapping might improve our comprehension of how mineral dust affects human populations today and in the future.
Genes in Space-9 - The National Lab is the sponsor of this scientific study. It shows how to make protein without cells in microgravity and tests two cell-free biosensors that can find specific targeted molecules. This technology may offer an easy-to-use, affordable tool for medical diagnostics, on-demand drug and vaccine production, and environmental monitoring on upcoming space missions.
Immunosenescence investigation - It was funded by the ISS U.S. National Laboratory. It investigates whether immune cells recover after flight and how microgravity impacts immune function while in flight using tissue chips. In order to evaluate how human cells react to shocks, medications, and genetic changes, scientists use small devices called tissue chips that house human cells in a 3D structure.
The Mission Is Delayed
According to Space.com, originally scheduled to launch more than a month ago, the mission, known as CRS-25, was postponed after significant levels of hydrazine vapor were found in a section of Dragon's propulsion system during fuelling operations.
Due to their careful approach, NASA and SpaceX thoroughly examined the vehicle once the vapor was discovered, ultimately delaying the launch three times over several weeks.
