NASA and SpaceX launch new mission to resupply the ISS

Los Angeles (ANTARA) - NASA and SpaceX launched a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, local time.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying approximately 6,500 pounds (about 2,950 kilograms) of cargo, lifted off on Friday at 18:05 Eastern Time, or Saturday at 05:05 WIB, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the southeastern state of Florida, United States.

The spacecraft is expected to dock automatically at the ISS on Sunday at approximately 07:00 Eastern Time (18:00 WIB). According to NASA, the Dragon is carrying supplies for the crew on the ISS and several new experiments.

The spacecraft is carrying a range of scientific instruments to the ISS, including equipment to study charged particles around the Earth that can affect power grids and satellites, hardware aimed at improving scientists’ understanding of how planets form, and instruments designed to make highly accurate measurements of sunlight reflected by the Earth and Moon.

The SpaceX Dragon is scheduled to remain at the orbiting laboratory until mid-June before returning to Earth with cargo and time-sensitive research samples.

This mission marks SpaceX’s 34th commercial resupply service mission to the ISS for NASA. The launch was originally scheduled for Tuesday (May 12), but was postponed twice due to unfavourable weather conditions.