April 2 (UPI) — SpaceX is set to send another Dragon spaceship to the International Space Station on Monday afternoon. The cargo vessel will be launched into space by a Falcon 9 rocket.
The blastoff from South Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET.
Monday’s launch will be SpaceX’s 14th space station resupply mission.
“Dragon will separate from Falcon 9’s second stage about 10 minutes after liftoff and attach to the space station on Wednesday, April 4,” SpaceX announced in an update. “Both Falcon 9 and the Dragon spacecraft for the CRS-14 mission are flight-proven.”
SpaceX will broadcast a live stream of the mission beginning 20 minutes before launch.
As usual, the cargo vessel will carry a combination of supplies, equipment and science experiments to the space station. Included among the science-related cargo is an experiment designed to study severe thunderstorms on Earth. Also included are a range of materials, coatings and components that will be exposed to the harsh space environment and monitored for damage.
Another experiment making its way to space is the Comparative Real-time Metabolic Activity Tracking for Improved Therapeutic Assessment Screening Panels. The study is designed to test the effects of microgravity on the synthesis and deployment of five different therapeutic compounds.
“This investigation determines the feasibility of developing improved pharmaceuticals in microgravity using a new method to test the metabolic impacts of drug compounds,” NASA said in an update. “This could lead to more effective, less expensive drugs.”
The Dragon cargo ship and its 5,800 pounds of supplies, hardware and science experiments will be received by the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. The astronauts aboard ISS have been cleaning up to make room for the cargo and practicing for the vessel’s reception.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.