CRS-34 Takes Flight
SpaceX’s 34th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA is underway, carrying 6,500 pounds of cargo to support the Expedition 74 crew. After delaying from an attempt earlier in the week due to poor weather, the uncrewed Cargo Dragon spacecraft C209 took flight on May 15th. Several orbits of the Earth later, Dragon docked to the station on Sunday morning, where it will remain for about a month.
Falcon 9 and Dragon lifted off at 6:05 PM EDT on Friday, rising from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After powering a nominal ascent, the first stage booster returned to a propulsive landing at LZ-40 just a few hundred feet from the launch site. SLC-40 has taken up the mantle of Dragon flights since the removal of the Crew Access Arm at LC-39A, which is used by personnel to access Dragon’s interior. While SpaceX reserves the option to re-install the arm if needed, the company ultimately plans to phase out all Falcon flights from 39A as it works to bring Starship online.
The CRS-34 mission carries food and other supplies for the astronauts aboard the ISS, in addition to new research experiments for them to work on. Several of these study human biology, including how red blood cells respond to the space environment, a new type of bone scaffold which could support treatments on Earth, and how gene transfer and biofilms behave in microgravity compared to terrestrial labs. Also onboard is Earth-sensing equipment, a study investigating planetary formation, and an instrument to monitor the charged particle radiation environment in Earth orbit.
Cargo Dragon C209 is now the second Dragon spacecraft to make six trips to space, after Crew Dragon C206 Endeavour completed its sixth mission in support of Crew-11. This milestone reflects SpaceX’s Dragon fleet aging as it pushes into new territory; Crew Dragons were originally certified by NASA for up to 5 flights, a limit which is now being relaxed on a per-flight basis. These numbers will only continue to climb in the future, as SpaceX has ostensibly shut down Dragon production after the completion of the last Crew Dragon C213 Grace. Except for Grace, no Crew Dragon has fewer than 4 flights on its record.
Now that Dragon has docked to the ISS, the Expedition 74 crew can begin unloading its supply of cargo and experiments. Over the next month, the astronauts on station will load Dragon with their own cargo and research results to be returned to Earth sometime in June.
