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This long-exposure image shows the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during NASA’s resupply mission to the International Space Station from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, as seen from Merritt Island, Fla., On Sunday. (Malcolm Denmark, Florida today via AP)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla .– A SpaceX shipment of ants, an avocado, and a human-sized robotic arm was flown to the International Space Station on Sunday.
The delivery – due to arrive Monday – is the company’s 23rd for NASA in just under a decade.
A recycled Falcon rocket exploded in the pre-dawn sky at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. After lifting the Dragon capsule, the first stage of the rocket landed on SpaceX’s final ocean platform, nicknamed “A Shortfall of Gravitas”. SpaceX founder Elon Musk continued his tradition of naming Savior boosters in honor of the late science fiction writer Ian Banks and his Culture series.
The Dragon carries over 4,800 pounds (2,170 kilograms) of supplies and experiments, as well as fresh food, including avocados, lemons, and even ice cream for the seven astronauts on the space station.
Girl Scouts send ants, brine shrimp and plants as test subjects, while scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison steal the seeds of mouse watercress, a small flowering plant used in genetic research. Samples of concrete, solar cells and other materials will also be subjected to weightlessness.
Meanwhile, a Japanese startup’s experimental robotic arm will attempt to link objects together when they first appear in orbit and perform other normal tasks typically performed by astronauts. The first tests will be carried out inside the space station. Chief Technology Officer Toyotaka Kozuki said future robot models from Gitai Inc. will venture into the void of space to perform satellite repairs and other work.
He added that as early as 2025, a combination of these weapons could help build bases on the Moon and mine the Moon for valuable resources.
SpaceX had to abandon some tests due to delays caused by COVID-19.
It was the second launch attempt. Stormy weather foiled Saturday’s test.
NASA turned to SpaceX and other U.S. companies to deliver cargo and crews to the space station after the space shuttle program ended in 2011.
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