SpaceX: The 34th Commercial Resupply Flight, A Record Sixth Mission For This Dragon Capsule, And Science That Could One Day Help Astronauts Survive Long-Duration Deep Space Travel
According to Space.com, SpaceX launched its Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station on May 12, carrying approximately 6,500 pounds of supplies, hardware and scientific experiments on the CRS-34 mission; the 34th flight SpaceX has conducted under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program. Liftoff took place atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 7:16 p.m. EDT.
Among the scientific payloads is a project to determine how well Earth-based simulators replicate microgravity conditions, a bone scaffold made from wood that could produce new treatments for bone conditions like osteoporosis, and equipment to evaluate how red blood cells and the spleen change in space; research directly relevant to protecting astronauts on long-duration missions.
Dragon docked autonomously to the Harmony module’s forward port on May 14 at approximately 9:50 a.m. EDT.
CRS-34 marked the sixth spaceflight for this particular Dragon capsule, a new record for a SpaceX cargo craft. The Falcon 9 booster also completed its sixth flight, landing back at Cape Canaveral roughly eight minutes after liftoff.
The capsule will remain attached to the ISS for approximately one month before splashing down off the California coast in mid-June, returning time-sensitive research to Earth. Dragon remains the only ISS resupply vehicle capable of bringing cargo back down intact.
To check out our previous coverage on SpaceX and the latest in space exploration, read our articles here.
