A SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule departed the Worldwide House Station Monday to shut out a month-and-a-half of docked operations, heading to a predawn splashdown Wednesday off the coast of Florida with a number of tons of {hardware} and experiment specimens.
The Dragon spacecraft undocked from the house station’s Concord module at 5:05 p.m. EST (2205 GMT) Monday, then fired its Draco thrusters for a sequence of departure burns to again away from the complicated. The departure units up for a deorbit burn and re-entry again into the environment early Wednesday. Splashdown off the coast of Florida is scheduled for five:19 a.m. EST (1019 GMT).
The unpiloted provide ship launched Nov. 26 from NASA’s Kennedy House Heart in Florida, driving a Falcon 9 rocket into orbit to start pursuit of the house station. The Dragon spacecraft autonomously linked up with the station Nov. 27, delivering greater than 7,700 kilos of provides and experiments.
The mission marks SpaceX’s twenty sixth resupply flight since 2012 to ship cargo to the house station, and is the primary flight of SpaceX’s latest Cargo Dragon capsule, designated Dragon C211. That is the ultimate reusable Cargo Dragon spacecraft SpaceX plans to construct to fulfill NASA’s cargo transportation wants for the station by means of 2030.
For the trek to the house station, the CRS-26 mission was filled with {hardware}, provides, and experiments for the house station and the seven-person crew dwelling on-board the complicated. The biggest component of the cargo load was NASA’s second pair of recent roll-out photo voltaic arrays to reinforce the house station’s energy system.
NASA astronauts Frank Rubio and Josh Cassada accomplished two spacewalks final month to put in the brand new photo voltaic array wings, which is able to increase the lab’s electrical manufacturing functionality for the subsequent decade. The spacecraft additionally carried vacation meals and treats, and eight CubeSats from groups in Brazil, the USA, Canada, Italy, and Taiwan that might be deployed later exterior the house station.
For the return journey to Earth, the Dragon spacecraft is hauling excessive strain oxygen and nitrogen gasoline tanks that might be refilled on the bottom for a future launch, a catalytic reactor for the station’s life help system, a strain management and pump meeting for the urine processing system, multifiltration beds for the station’s water processor, a mass spectrometer and hydrogen sensor, and potable water dispenser filters.
The {hardware} might be refurbished on the bottom for a future launch again to the Worldwide House Station.
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