Cargo Dragon - CRS-22

CRS-22 will deliver numerous science experiments to the ISS, including:

• UMAMI: an experiemnt with bobtail squid to investigate whether spaceflight alters the mutually beneficial relationship between microbes and animal hosts. This research could support development of protective measures to preserve astronaut health on long-duration space missions and could help identify ways to protect and enhance these relationships for human health on Earth as well.
  
• Pilote: an investigation from the ESA (European Space Agency) and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) to test the effectiveness of remote operation of robotic arms and space vehicles using virtual reality and interfaces based on haptics, or simulated touch and motion. The results could help optimize the ergonomics of workstations on the space station and future space vehicles for missions to the Moon and Mars.
  
• Kidney Cells-02: an experiment that uses a 3D kidney cell model, or tissue chip, to study the effects of microgravity on the formation of microcrystals that can lead to kidney stones. This investigation could reveal critical pathways of kidney disease development and progression, potentially leading to therapies to treat and prevent kidney stones not just for astronauts but for the 1 in 10 people on Earth who develop them.

Also inside Dragon is MIR-SAT1, the first satellite for the Republic of Mauritius. The satellite's full name is Mauritius Imagery and Radiotelecommunication Satellite 1, and was built by a team at the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council.

MIR-SAT1 is part of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and JAXA KiboCUBE program that offers educational or research institutions from developing countries of United Nations membership opportunities to deploy, from the ISS Kibo module, CubeSats which they develop and manufacture.

MIR-SAT1 will be a technology demonstration satellite and promotional tool for the Mauritius satellite industry.

Inside Dragon's trunk are the first two sets of new power-gathering solar arrays for the station since it was constructed. The new ISS Roll Out Solar Arrays, or iROSAs, from Boeing will be placed over six of the station's eight original arrays and will boost the current power supply by 20% to 30%.

This power increase will help the ISS serve its growing science, research, and manufacturing demands.

Dragon 2

The second generation of SpaceX's Dragon capsule.

Dragon 2 comes in two different types, each based on the same overall design. One variant is built to carry crew, called Crew Dragon. The other version is for cargo-only missions to the ISS.

Like Crew Dragon, Dragon 2 cargo capsules can be reused up to five times, can autonomously dock and undock themselves from the ISS, and can bring thousands of kilograms of science and equipment safely back to Earth.

Under the contracted cargo missions for NASA, Dragon will routinely carry supplies to and from the ISS for several years.

The capsules splashdown off the coast of Florida near the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Kennedy Space Center to speed up recovery and refurbishment time between flights.

Photo: CRS-22 Dragon. Credit: John Kruas/Supercluster

Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond.

Falcon 9 is the world’s first orbital-class reusable rocket.

Stats

Total launches: 402

Total landings: 358

Total reflights: 333

The Falcon 9 has launched 52 humans into orbit since May 2020

Specs

Height: 70 m / 229.6 ft

Diameter: 3.7 m / 12 ft

Mass: 549,054 kg / 1,207,920 lb

Payload to Low Earth Orbit (LEO): 22,800 kg / 50,265 lb

Payload to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO): 8,300 kg / 18,300 lb

Payload to Mars: 4,020 kg / 8,860 lb

On January 24, 2021, Falcon 9 launched the first ride-share mission to Sun Synchronous Orbit. It was delivering a record-setting 143 satellites to space. And while this was an important mission for SpaceX in itself, it was also the moment Falcon 9 overtook United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V for the total number of consecutive successful launches.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 had become America’s workhorse rocket, launching 31 times in 2021. It has already beaten that record this year, launching almost an average of once a week. While most of the launches deliver Starlink satellites to orbit, the company is still launching the most commercial payloads to orbit, too.

Falcon 9 is a medium-lift launch vehicle, with the capability to launch over 22.8 metric tonnes to low earth orbit. Unlike any other rocket, its first stage lands back on Earth after separating from its second stage. In part, this allows SpaceX to offer the cheapest option for most customers with payloads that need to reach orbit.

Under its ride-share program, a kilogram can be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit for a mere 1.1 million dollars, far cheaper than all other currently operating small satellite launch vehicles.

The reusability and fast booster turnaround times have made Falcon 9 the preferred choice for private companies and government agencies. This has allowed SpaceX to capture a huge portion of the launch market.

Photo courtesy of John Kraus for Supercluster.

Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) is a historic launch site located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Originally constructed in the late 1960s, LC-39A was designed to support the Apollo program, including the groundbreaking Apollo 11 mission that first landed humans on the Moon in 1969. The pad also played a crucial role in launching Skylab missions and was instrumental during the Space Shuttle era, including the launch of the first Space Shuttle, Columbia, on STS-1 in 1981.

In 2014, SpaceX leased LC-39A from NASA and undertook extensive refurbishments to adapt the pad for its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. These upgrades involved significant modifications to the pad's infrastructure to meet the requirements of SpaceX’s rockets. Since then, LC-39A has become a vital launch site for SpaceX, supporting a range of missions including crewed flights under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Under SpaceX's management, LC-39A has been the site of several landmark events. It hosted the first Falcon 9 launch from the pad on March 30, 2017, and was the launch site for the historic Falcon Heavy debut on February 6, 2018, which was the most powerful rocket in operation at that time. Additionally, LC-39A was the launch site for the first crewed flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft on May 30, 2020, marking the first crewed spaceflight from U.S. soil since the end of the Shuttle program.

Today, LC-39A remains a critical asset for SpaceX, supporting both crewed and uncrewed missions. It continues to serve as a launch site for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets and is expected to play a central role in future missions, including those aimed at lunar exploration and beyond. The pad's rich history and ongoing significance highlight its importance in the broader context of space exploration.

Photo courtesy of Erik Kuna for Supercluster

"Of Course I Still Love You" (OCISLY) is one of SpaceX’s Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ships used to recover Falcon 9 rocket boosters from the ocean. Like its sister ships, "Just Read the Instructions" (JRTI) and "A Shortfall of Gravitas" (ASOG), OCISLY plays a crucial role in SpaceX’s reusability program, which aims to make spaceflight more cost-effective and sustainable.

The name "Of Course I Still Love You" is inspired by science fiction author Iain M. Banks' Culture series, known for its imaginative and whimsical ship names. This naming theme extends to SpaceX's other drone ships.

OCISLY originally operated in the Atlantic Ocean, primarily from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It has since been retired and replaced by ASOG in the Atlantic, with its operations shifting to the Pacific Ocean.

Equipped with advanced navigation systems and thrusters for precise positioning, OCISLY featured a large landing platform designed for recovering rocket boosters at sea. It was instrumental in supporting missions where boosters couldn’t return to solid ground, enabling SpaceX to reuse rocket stages and contribute to lowering costs and improving the sustainability of space missions.

After launch, Dragon will raise itself to a roughly 400 km orbit and fly itself to the International Space Station.

It will automatically dock itself to the Harmony module of the Station.

Harmony, also known as Node-2, is the second connecting module of the U.S.-side of the Station and is the module to which the European and Japanese science labs are attached.

Harmony is also the module to which the Crew Dragon and Starliner commercial crew vehicles dock.

Image: NASA