SpaceX completed its 33rd cargo delivery to the International Space Station early Monday, when a Dragon supply ship glided to an automated docking with more than 5,000 pounds of scientific experiments and provisions for the lab’s seven-person crew.
The resupply flight is part of the normal rotation of cargo and crew missions that keep the space station operating. The Dragon spacecraft’s cargo haul comprised packages of fresh food, including some 1,500 tortillas, and equipment for numerous research investigations demonstrating 3D printing in microgravity and examining how the human body responds to long-duration spaceflight.
The cargo manifest is typical of most Dragon resupply flights traveling to the International Space Station. What’s different with this mission is a new rocket pack mounted inside the Dragon spacecraft’s rear trunk section. In the coming weeks, SpaceX and NASA will use this first-of-its-kind propulsion system to begin boosting the altitude of the space station’s orbit.
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