SpaceX plans to reuse the Cargo Dragons up to five times. The Cargo Dragon will launch withoutSuperDraco abort engines, without seats, cockpit controls and the life support system required to sustain astronauts in space.[5][6]Dragon 2 improves onDragon 1 in several ways, including lessened refurbishment time, leading to shorter periods between flights.[7]
The new Cargo Dragon capsules under the NASA CRS Phase 2 contract will land east ofFlorida in the Atlantic Ocean.[5][7]
NASA andSpaceX originally targeted a window no earlier than 03:01 UTC on Sunday, November 6, 2024, for the launch of the company's 29th commercial resupply services mission to theInternational Space Station. The date shift takes into account required time for teams to complete pad readiness after the agency'sPsyche launch on SpaceX'sFalcon Heavy rocket, which lifted off on October 13 fromLaunch Complex 39A at NASA'sKennedy Space Center.[8] Falcon 9 and the Cargo Dragon spacecraft lifted off on November 10, 2023, at 01:28:14 UTC from Launch Complex 39A. The first stage separated at T+2:21, and Falcon 9 landed at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at T+7:36. The second stage shut down at T+8:33, and the Dragon spacecraft separated from the second stage at T+11:46.
The Cargo Dragon spacecraft was loaded with a total of 2,950 kilograms (6,500 lb) of cargo and supplies before its launch, including 2,381 kilograms (5,249 lb) of pressurized and 561 kilograms (1,237 lb) of unpressurized cargo.
Various experiments were transported to the orbiting laboratory, providing valuable insights for researchers.
The research includes work to understand interactions between weather on Earth and space, and laser communications. NASA'sAtmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) will study atmospheric gravity waves –powerful waves formed by weather disturbances on Earth such as strong thunderstorms or brewing hurricanes – to understand the flow of energy through Earth's upper atmosphere and space. Another experiment – IntegratedLaser Communications Relay Demonstration Low-Earth-Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal – (ILLUMA-T) aims to test high data rate laser communications from the space station to Earth. This will complete NASA's first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system by sending high-resolution data to the agency'sLaser Communications Relay Demonstration, which launched in December 2021.[9][10] It will be tested for six months on ISS, before being placed into operational use.[11]
Other investigations that will launch with the resupply mission include ESA's (European Space Agency) Aquamembrane-3, which will test water filtration using proteins found in nature for water recycling and recovery, and Plant Habitat-06, which will evaluate the effects of spaceflight on plant defense responses using multiple genotypes of tomato.[9]
Redwire will be launching microgravity research payloads focused on pharmaceutical drug development and regenerative medicine, including an experiment in bioprinting cardiac tissue.[12]
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).
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