A SpaceX Dragon capsule packed with more than 5,000 pounds of hardware, provisions and experiments launched July 25 from Cape Canaveral and arrived at the International Space Station two days later.
The Dragon spacecraft lifted off at 6:01:56 p.m. EDT (2201:56 GMT) July 25 on top of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad.
In a further demonstration of SpaceX’s ethos of reusability, the Falcon 9 booster launched July 25 completed its second mission — following a previous cargo launch in May — and returned to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for landing. The Dragon spacecraft made its third trip to the space station after missions in 2015 and 2017.
Items delivered by the Dragon supply ship included a new docking mechanism to support additional visiting crew and cargo vehicles at the space station, and a spacesuit for use by astronauts on future spacewalks. There was also a 3D bioprinter on-board to test technology that could lead to the manufacture of human tissue in space.
Read our full story for details on the mission.
The photos below show the Falcon 9 rocket taking off from Florida’s Space Coast, followed by snapshots taken by astronauts of the Dragon capsule approaching the space station.
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