SpaceX Dragon Departs from the ISS on January 9 – Here’s How to Watch It

On Monday, January 9, 2023, we will see the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft depart from the International Space Station (ISS).

This time, the Dragon spacecraft will be uncrewed. But it will be packed with the results of scientific experiments that were conducted on the space station.

You will be able to watch the departure from home as it will be live streamed on NASA TV. Here are the details.

How to Watch the SpaceX Dragon's Departure from the ISS

According to Digital Trends, NASA will live stream the departure of the Dragon spacecraft on Monday. The live stream will include coverage of the undocking from the space station.

The coverage will begin at 4:45 p.m. ET (1:45 p.m. PT) on Monday. Meanwhile, the docking itself is scheduled at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).

To watch the live stream, just head to NASA's YouTube page for its NASA TV channel.

The Dragon spacecraft is set to travel back to Earth all throughout Monday evening and all of Tuesday.

It is scheduled to splash down off the coast of Florida on Wednesday, January 11.

Although NASA will no longer live stream the splashdown, you can still follow the spacecraft's progress by heading to the NASA Space Station blog. It will have updates at every stage of the mission.

Read Also: NASA and SpaceX Investigate The Dragon Capsule's Parachute System

SpaceX Dragon Will Return to Earth After 43 Days in Space

The return of the Dragon spacecraft to Earth on Monday signifies the completion of the 26th NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-26) mission.

On November 26 last year, CRS-26 was launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad-39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

According to Tesmanian, Dragon spent 43 days docked at ISS. Finally, the spacecraft will undock from the ISS Harmony module to complete the mission.

Over the weekend, SpaceX said that the weather currently looks good for the Dragon's departure from the ISS. With the upcoming splashdown on Wednesday, the team will keep on monitoring conditions off the coasts of Florida.

Last November, the Dragon spacecraft brought 7,777 pounds of supplies for science experiments and other vital cargo needed at the ISS.

Since its also Thanksgiving around that time, the mission also delivered some delicious treats for the Expedition 68 astronauts who were working at the orbiting laboratory.

Now, the spacecraft is set to return to Earth carrying approximately 4,400 pounds of cargo. This includes the results of the scientific research conducted in microgravity.

One of the experiment results aboard the spacecraft is the research into hydroponic and aeroponic methods for growing plants in space. Another one is the use of microbes for potential medicines.

In addition, the space vehicle will also bring home some materials that are no longer needed at the lab.

According to the agency's representative, NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, and Frank Rubio, as well as Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata spent the weekends loading the spacecraft with critical research samples from completed station experiments.

These results of space experiments will be analyzed once they reached Earth. The Dragon spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted landing in the ocean.

Related Article: SpaceX Postpones ISS Cargo Mission Again-When is the New Launch Date?