SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply mission en route to ISS with NASA's latest scientific payloads

NASA’s SpaceX CRS-29 mission lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Image courtesy: NASA)

The SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply mission attached to the Falcon 9 rocket was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 9 to deliver to the International Space Station (ISS) more than 6,500 pounds of cargo. The cargo includes supplies for the astronauts, equipment, and science experiments. Scientists are conducting research for enhanced optical communications and studies for measurement of atmospheric waves.

This mission, called CRS-29, is the 29th time NASA has sent supplies to the Space Station using a commercial service, the 9th such cargo mission for SpaceX.

The Dragon spacecraft will arrive at the Space Station on November 11 and will stay there for about a month. After that, it will come back to Earth carrying some research and around 3,800 pounds of cargo.

The launch of the cargo spacecraft was aired live on NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and on the agency’s website.

NASA's SpaceX CRS-29 mission payload overview and goals:

NASA's high-speed laser communications and atmospheric study

NASA is conducting ILLUMA-T and AWE experiments for advancing laser communication and studying energy dynamics in Earth's upper atmosphere.

Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T) research is for high data rate laser communications between the station and Earth. And, the Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) focuses on studying atmospheric gravity waves to understand energy flow in Earth's upper atmosphere and space.

The Dragon cargo spacecraft will also transport the following hardware

Respiratory Health Research: Scientists are checking how our breathing system works in space. Understanding this helps create better medicines for astronauts, making sure they work well in space.

Water Filtration Technology: Scientists are testing a new way to clean water in space. If it works, it means less stuff needs to be sent to space, and we might use it in tough situations on Earth too. This water filtration technology also could have applications in extreme environments on Earth, such as emergency settings, and decentralized water systems in remote locations.

Replacement parts for Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor: Replacement parts are carried for the spacecraft atmosphere monitor, which checks the quality of the cabin atmosphere. Fixing the monitor ensures astronauts breathe good air up there.

Radiation Exposure Monitor: Space tissue equivalent dosimeter hardware, which collects data on radiation exposure and characterizes the space radiation environment, to detect space radiation will also be delivered. This instrument tells scientists how much radiation is there in space and ISS and accordingly know how to keep astronauts safe.

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Tomato experiment

Scientists are sending tomato plants to see the effects of spaceflight on plant defence responses. This study helps scientists understand how plants defend themselves in space, also useful when scientists want to grow plants for future long space missions.

Also Read: All about NASA-ISRO NISAR earth-observing satellite

Combustion integrated rack and a fluid oxidizer management assembly calibration unit

The tool is to make sure fire experiments in space work right, maintaining the space station's gas system.