Experience the live arrival of a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule at the International Space Station this Saturday morning (Nov. 11).
The Dragon, launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday evening (Nov. 9) atop a Falcon 9 rocket, is commencing the CRS-29 cargo mission for NASA.
Be sure to tune in to the live docking of the Dragon with the International Space Station (ISS) this Saturday at 5:21 a.m. EST (1021 GMT). Watch the rendezvous live on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV, beginning at 3:45 a.m. EST (0845 GMT).
Related: Don’t miss SpaceX’s 29th cargo mission to the International Space Station
The Dragon is transporting over 6,500 pounds (2,950 kilograms) of supplies and scientific hardware on CRS-29, marking SpaceX’s 29th cargo mission to the ISS for NASA. (“CRS” indicates “Commercial Resupply Services.”)
Among the scientific equipment is a NASA experiment called AWE, or “Atmospheric Waves Experiment,” designated for studying gravity waves in Earth’s atmosphere.
The agency’s ILLUMA-T project (short for “Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal”) is also onboard, aiming to test high-speed laser communications in orbit by exchanging signals with the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, a tool that launched aboard a U.S. military satellite in December 2021.
Furthermore, in addition to the scientific gear, Dragon is carrying holiday treats for the ISS astronauts on this flight, including pumpkin spice cappuccinos, turkey, and cranberry sauce, as announced by NASA officials.
If all goes according to plan, Dragon will spend approximately a month at the ISS before returning to Earth with 3,800 pounds (1,724 kg) of cargo loaded by the ISS astronauts, according to NASA officials.
Notably, no other space station cargo craft has the capability to return. The other two operational freighters—Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus craft and Russia’s Progress vehicle—are disposable, burning up in Earth’s atmosphere at the end of their missions.
