The SpaceX Dragon cargo ship, sent to deliver 3 tons of supplies to the International Space Station, successfully docked after launching from Kennedy Space Center and lighting up the night sky with its Falcon 9 rocket. The rocket's first stage separated and landed back at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station while the second stage continued its journey to space.
After a series of rendezvous rocket firings, the Cargo Dragon caught up with the space station and docked at the lab's forward port, allowing the crew to unload supplies including food, science gear, and holiday treats. One of the upcoming tests involves using the Cargo Dragon's thrusters to slightly boost the space station's orbit, a capability that will be crucial for future ISS operations.
In addition to traditional supplies like food and equipment, the Cargo Dragon is carrying unique payloads, such as a wooden satellite experiment aiming to test sustainability in space and instruments like the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment and ARTEMOSS to study space phenomena and plant growth in microgravity. The cargo ship is expected to stay docked for about a month before returning to Earth with station components and waste.