Falcon-9 rockets from Elon Musk’s SpaceX will deliver sustenance, experiments, and science to the International Space Station (ISS). On Monday, the 28th commercial resupply mission will launch with over 3000 kilograms of cargo bound for the orbiting laboratory.
The CRS-28 mission will launch at 9:17 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station. The mission was scheduled to launch on Sunday, but SpaceX delayed the launch due to strong winds in the recovery area.
The 45th meteorological Squadron of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station has predicted a 60% probability of favorable meteorological conditions for launch.
WHAT is NASA launching to the International Space Station?
The Dragon spacecraft aboard the Falcon-9 rocket transports not only fresh food for the personnel, but also scientific experiments and research instruments.
NASA is launching the International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays (IROSAs), which roll out using conserved kinetic energy and are designed to increase the space station’s energy-production capacity. They will supplement the existing power supply with additional energy, thereby facilitating more cutting-edge scientific research.
This will be the third set to launch in Dragon’s cargo, and once deployed, it will contribute to a 20% to 30% power increase for space station research and operations.
As the planet continues to suffer from the effects of climate change, York University in Toronto is dispatching a camera to northern Canada to observe snow and ice coverage in order to advance climate monitoring efforts. A student-designed DNA experiment, Genes in Space-10, is also being sent to the zero-gravity facility.
In addition, the American space agency is launching the next generation of seedlings for NASA’s Plant Habitat-03 mission, which investigates plant adaptation to the space environment.
“CRS-28 is the fourth mission to the space station for this Dragon spacecraft, which previously flew CRS-21, CRS-23, and CRS-25. Tuesday, following a roughly 18-hour voyage, Dragon will autonomously dock with the orbiting laboratory, according to a SpaceX update.