The SpaceX Crew-1 was successfully launched on Sunday night from the Kennedy Space Center on its way to the International Space Station.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida at around 8.30pm ET on Wednesday with £ 4,400 scientific research and other cargo.
This marks the completion of SpaceX’s 21st cargo storage mission to the International Space Station. The company launched the Dragon with 6,400 pounds of supplies on a Falcon 9 rocket on December 6th.
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The research material on board will be transported quickly to the Kennedy Space Center’s processing facility within four to nine hours. Cargo from previous Pacific eruptions had to be transported to SpaceX and NASA’s facilities in Texas.
Some of the science on board will contribute to research on “how gravity changes affect cardiovascular cells at the cellular and tissue levels using 3D-made heart tissues,” according to a NASA press release.
Other research as a result of the trip will examine the ‘benefits of using microgravity for the latest developments in regenerative medicine’, and ‘specific techniques for using an emergency navigator on spacecraft such as NASA’s Orion.’
This upgraded Dragon capsule allowed the mission to transport 20% more cargo than the previous version of the ship, as well as to increase the amount of science and research to bring home.
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This dragon spacecraft also docked and unloaded for the first time autonomously at the International Space Station, as the robot Canadarm2 was used by astronauts to attach previous cargo ships.