SpaceXs Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station loaded complete of science experiments after one month at the orbiting laboratory.The pill, bring 4,600 pounds. Related: 3 astronauts move Soyuz to brand-new space station dock ahead of film crew arrivalA shot of the SpaceX CRS-23 Dragon freight capsule leaving the International Space Station on Sept. 30, 2021. The pill, introduced on Aug. 29 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, was SpaceXs 23rd Commercial Resupply Services mission.The next cargo Dragon bound for the area station is currently targeting a launch in early December.
SpaceXs Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station loaded filled with science experiments after one month at the orbiting laboratory.The capsule, carrying 4,600 pounds. (2,900 kilograms) of product to return to Earth, undocked at 9:12 a.m. EDT (1312 GMT) on Thursday (Sept. 30) while the station was travelling over the Pacific Ocean. NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough monitored from inside the International Space Stations cupola as the pill, commanded by ground controllers at SpaceX head office in Hawthorne, California, separated from the stations Harmony module and fired its thrusters. ” I want to provide a big thank you to the SpaceX and the NASA teams for getting this automobile approximately us in terrific shape, with a lot of science and surprise for the ISS,” Kimbrough stated throughout a NASA livestream. “The activities related to SpaceX 23 kept our team busy over the previous month. We look forward to hearing about the results of the payloads we communicated with. Have a safe journey back to Earth.” The capsule then relocated to a safe range from the station and performed a series of burns, which sent it toward Earth. Related: 3 astronauts move Soyuz to brand-new area station dock ahead of film team arrivalA shot of the SpaceX CRS-23 Dragon freight capsule departing the International Space Station on Sept. 30, 2021. (Image credit: NASA TELEVISION) The spacecraft will crash off the coast of Florida at around 11 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT on Oct. 1). The pill will then be carried to NASAs Space Station Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center, which is located a brief distance from the splashdown site. This brief distance is particularly important for this delivery, since the pill carries microgravity experiments that could be impacted if exposed to the planets gravity in a vulnerable environment for a longer time period, NASA authorities composed in a statement.Many of the experiments are biomedical, consisting of some focused on the evolution of degenerative diseases such as Azheimers, Parkinsons and Type 2 diabetes, in addition to others taking a look at muscle atrophy and gene expression in space.Investigators will make a first fast assessment of the biological samples upon arrival at the processing facility before exposure to gravity alters the results. Then, the scientists will perform more thorough analyses at their home laboratories.The departing Dragon spacecraft had been docked at the space station because Aug. 30. The pill, launched on Aug. 29 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, was SpaceXs 23rd Commercial Resupply Services mission.The next cargo Dragon bound for the spaceport station is currently targeting a launch in early December. The docking port on the Harmony module that the CRS-23 pill occupied will next be checked out by the upcoming Crew Dragon 3 objective this fall.Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook..