UPDATED: Now set for 5:05PM Thursday due to bad weather in the recovery area.
Dragon to Return from ISS with Key Scientific Payload
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is set to undock from the International Space Station (ISS) tonight at 9:05 p.m. EST. NASA will provide coverage of the undocking beginning at 8:45PM EST on NASA TV, Youtube, and the agency’s website.
The spacecraft, which has been attached to the station’s Harmony module, will be commanded by ground controllers at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, to initiate its departure. The Dragon will employ its thrusters to safely distance itself from the ISS, embarking on its journey back to Earth.
The spacecraft’s re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere will culminate in a splashdown off the coast of Florida. Information has not yet been released on the location and time of Dragon splash down, however the Spacex Recovery ship Shannon was located in the Gulf of Mexico off of Tampa Bay this afternoon. The ship was still travelling on a northwesterly heading just after 1PM local time.
While NASA will not broadcast the splashdown live, continuous updates will be provided on the agency’s space station blog.
Dragon is set to bring back over 4,300 pounds of supplies and scientific experiments, taking full advantage of the ISS’s unique microgravity environment. The splashdown location off Florida’s coast is strategically chosen to facilitate rapid transportation of the experiments to NASA’s Space Station Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center, thereby minimizing the exposure of the samples to Earth’s gravity.
Among the significant scientific payloads returning to Earth is the Planet Habitat-03 experiment. This groundbreaking study focuses on genetic adaptations in plants grown in space, examining whether these adaptations can be passed on to subsequent generations. This research stands as one of the first multi-generational plant biology studies conducted in orbit.
Additionally, the spacecraft is bringing back important studies from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). These include the Cell Gravisensing project, which investigates how cells perceive and react to gravity. The findings from this study have the potential to advance drug development for conditions like muscle atrophy and osteoporosis.
A highlight of the mission is the Genes in Space-10 project, a student-led initiative that explores a novel method for measuring the length of telomeres – cap-like structures at the end of DNA strands – in space. Interestingly, while telomeres typically shorten with age on Earth, they have been observed to lengthen in space, presenting unique research opportunities.
The Dragon spacecraft is also transporting samples from two other critical experiments: the MaRVIn-PCIM (Microgravity Research for Versatile Investigations-Phase Change in Mixtures) and Neuronix (Innovative Paralysis Therapy Enabling Neuroregeneration). These samples will undergo detailed scientific analysis upon their return.
The Dragon arrived at the ISS on November 11 as part of SpaceX’s 29th commercial resupply services mission for NASA. It delivered approximately 6,500 pounds of research materials, crew supplies, and station hardware, having launched two days earlier on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy.
These experiments are part of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in fields such as biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. The advancements from these studies are crucial not only for maintaining astronaut health during prolonged space missions but also for paving the way for future human and robotic exploration beyond low Earth orbit. These efforts are integral to NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to extend exploration to the Moon and Mars.
