SpaceX Dragon Set to Return to Earth with Vital Space Research Cargo

SpaceX Dragon recently returned from the ISS with a load of 6,700 pounds of valuable materials for space science, debris control and exploration technology.

The Dragon spacecraft will be brought back from the ISS by NASA and SpaceX during its mission on Thursday, May 22. Part of NASA’s 32nd commercial resupply services effort, the mission continues to advance teamwork in space science.

Carrying about 6,700 pounds of research, systems and samples, the spacecraft will part ways with the space-facing Harmony module port at 12:05 p.m. EDT. The rocket will begin its descent and splash down, near the California coast on May 23.

A number of things coming back are samples from MISSE-20, an experiment in space that tested shielding from radiation, solar sails and heat shields. A similar robotic device, called Astrobee-REACCH, was carried as well and served to show ideas for how to remove orbital debris.

The mission includes learning activities developed by the Story Time from Space project plus hardware from the OPTICA experiment which tested advanced camera technology for sending high-quality images from space to Earth.

With this mission, space research again proves vital for creating and perfecting technologies that benefit us here and in outer space. With NASA’s Artemis program driving new space missions, it is important to have countries working together.