WATCH | SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft approaches ISS for docking with 3,500 kg of cargo

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has docked with the International Space Station (ISS) with roughly 3,500 kg of cargo it carried for NASA. The brand new vehicle autonomously docked to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module on November 27 while NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada monitored the docking process. 

SpaceX launched the cargo-laden spacecraft to the ISS on November 26 for NASA under the 26th Cargo Resupply Services (CRS-26) mission under a multi-billion dollar contract. 

Watch the Dragon approach the space station

Ahead of Dragon’s docking to the ISS, NASA shared a couple of thrilling videos featuring the spacecraft as it rapidly approached the orbiting laboratory. In the videos, Dragon was at a distance of around one km and 400 metres when it was captured catching up to the space station’s speed (which is roughly 27,600 km per hour). 

SpaceX aces 54th mission of 2022

SpaceX has so far completed 54 launch missions in 2022, most of which have been for the satellite internet services Starlink. For the CRS-26 mission, Dragon lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre with 3,500 kg of cargo, out of which 1,062 kg are food supplies for the crew whereas 937 kg makes up the science investigations among other payloads. 

Among the science investigations sent to the astronauts are dwarf tomato seeds which are part of the Veg-05 experiment. "Researchers have been testing a plant growth unit on a station known as Veggie and have successfully grown a variety of leafy greens," NASA said in a statement. "Veg-05, the next step in that work, focuses on growing dwarf tomatoes." Moreover, the astronauts will also conduct the Moon Microscope experiment which is a kit for in-flight medical diagnosis and treatment.

"The kit could provide diagnostic capabilities for crew members in space or on the surface of the Moon or Mars, as well as the ability to test water, food, and surfaces for contamination," NASA said. The agency also launched new solar panels which would be installed outside the space station to increase the power required for microgravity research.