SpaceX is ready to conduct the 22nd cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s second Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-22) contract. On Thursday, May 27, the Dragon spacecraft was transported from SpaceX’s processing facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station into a hangar where it was attached atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Dragon is loaded with about 7,300 pounds of cargo, “[…] critical materials that will directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 65 and 66,” the agency said in a press release.
Falcon 9 and Dragon roll out to Launch Complex 39A ahead of Dragon's 22nd cargo resupply mission to the @Space_Station pic.twitter.com/5svIeVrcZM
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 1, 2021
Inside Dragon’s unpressurized trunk are three pairs of solar arrays to increase the Space Station’s power capacity that will be installed by the crew on an upcoming spacewalk. Some of the cargo inside the pressurized cabin includes: sensitive science materials and equipment to conduct science research, supplies needed for the seven-member crew, and even tiny creatures will travel to space. The creatures are Tardigrades and bobtail squids, which will aid in conducting scientific research. Tardigrades will be used to study how the creatures can survive under extreme conditions. Advancing our understanding of how Tardigrades biology adapts to rough environments, like microgravity, could enable scientists to obtain insight into what affects human biology in space and how could animals and humans adapt. The bobtail squid is part of a research project that will examine the effects of going to space “on the molecular and chemical interactions between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts.”
Today, June 1st, Falcon 9 and Dragon were rolled out to Launch Pad-39A, ahead of the CRS-22 mission that is scheduled to liftoff on Thursday, June 3rd, at 1:29 p.m. EDT. The uncrewed spacecraft will operate autonomously; It is scheduled to arrive to ISS by Saturday, June 5. Dragon will dock to the Space Station’s Harmony module at 5:00 a.m. EDT. “NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough prepared for the Cargo Dragon’s arrival with 3D computer training today (June 1),” the agency shared, “They will be monitoring Dragon early Saturday ensuring it safely approaches the station during its automated rendezvous and docking.” You can watch the CRS-22 mission Live on Thursday in the video below, courtesy of NASA TV.
All Images Source: SpaceX
About the Author
Evelyn Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
