Dragon CRS-29 cargo ship operated by SpaceX on behalf of NASA was launched by a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket at 0128 GMT on 10 November 2023. The launch took place from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center – Pad 39A. The uncrewed Dragon re-supply craft is expected to autonomously dock with the Harmony port of the International Space Station on 11 November at 1020 GMT.
Falcon 9 successfully launches Dragon CRS-29. Courtesy: NASA.
DRAGON CRS-29 is carrying around 2950 kg of supplies, research and hardware to the ISS. This includes 569 kg of unpressurised payloads and 2,281 kg of pressurised payloads (including packaging). The breakdown of the pressurised payloads is, 681 kg of crew supplies, 1,012 kg of science investigations, 48 kg of spacewalk equipment, 491 kg of vehicle hardware and 46 kg – computer resources.
In with the crew supplies is food, including some seasonal specialties like cappuccino, turkey, duck, quail, seafood, chocolate and pumpkin spice.
Experiments onboard include AWE (Atmospheric Waves Experiment) which will study gravity waves. ILLUMA-T (Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal) which will test high-speed communications once located on the exterior of the ISS.
This is the second flight of this particular Dragon capsule (C211) having first flown the DRAGON CRS-26 mission in November 2022 and also the second flight for the Falcon first stage B1081, which made a successful landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Stations landing zone (LZ1) eight minutes after launch (0136 GMT).
DRAGON CRS-29 is expected to remain docked with the ISS for around one month before returning with around 1,724 kg of cargo.
