Skip to main content

SpaceX launches Cargo Dragon to ISS, catches booster on new ship for first time

SpaceX has successfully launched a Cargo Dragon resupply ship on its way to the International Space Station (ISS), where it will deliver both scientific experiments and supplies for the crew. The Dragon was launched using a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:14 a.m. ET (12:14 a.m. PT) on Sunday, August 29, after a one-day delay from its original launch date due to poor weather.

The Dragon will now travel to the space station throughout Sunday before arriving at around 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) on Monday, August 30. This marks SpaceX’s 23rd resupply mission to the ISS.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Cargo Dragon spacecraft toward the International Space Station.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Cargo Dragon spacecraft toward the International Space Station. NASA TV

In the most recent update from NASA on the progress of the Dragon, it confirmed that the nosecone was open and the spacecraft had reached orbit and was on its way to the space station: “Dragon’s nosecone is open, and the spacecraft is safely in orbit following a launch on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 3:14 a.m. EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying more than 4,800 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware to the International Space Station.”

A notable success of this launch was the catching of the first stage booster on SpaceX’s new droneship. The booster is only necessary for the first part of a launch, providing fuel for the difficult climb through the atmosphere against gravity. Once the rocket has reached a certain height, the booster is no longer needed and falls back to Earth. SpaceX has perfected the art of catching these boosters after a launch and reusing them, which should make space launches cheaper in the long run. The company recently debuted its newest droneship for catching boosters, named A Shortfall of Gravitas, which made its first catch yesterday.

SpaceX shared footage of the booster coming in to land on the droneship as well:

Falcon 9’s first stage booster has landed on A Shortfall of Gravitas – first landing on this droneship! pic.twitter.com/vaiqb30q0P

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 29, 2021

Once the Dragon arrives at the ISS it will dock autonomously with the Harmony module, attaching to the forward-facing port. The docking will be overseen by two members of the ISS crew, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur. You can watch the docking live as it will be shown on NASA TV, with coverage beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET (6:30 a.m. PT) on Monday.

Editors' Recommendations

Georgina Torbet
Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…
SpaceX’s Starship launch sparked a fire in a Texas state park
SpaceX's Starship launching from Boca Chica, Texas, in April 2023.

SpaceX successfully launched the most powerful rocket ever developed on Thursday, April 20, but just a few minutes after clearing the pad in Boca Chica, Texas, the 120-meter-tall Starship vehicle tumbled out of control and exploded in midair.

Despite the fiery end, the commercial spaceflight company led by Elon Musk described the maiden test mission as a success, giving the team plenty of data to work with so that it can improve the rocket’s design before attempting a complete flight that would see the upper stage of the vehicle reach orbit for the first time.

Read more
Will SpaceX’s failed Starship flight impact NASA’s moon plan?
Artist concept of the SpaceX Starship on the surface of the Moon.

SpaceX’s Starship vehicle suffered what the spaceflight company called a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” on Thursday. In other words, it blew up.

The good news is that the uncrewed rocket cleared the pad and flew for around four minutes before meeting its fiery end. It means the SpaceX team will have plenty of valuable data on the rocket's flight performance, enabling it to refine the rocket’s systems to give it an improved chance of completing the second test flight and sending the Starship to orbit.

Read more
SpaceX Starship rocket launches in first test flight, but explodes in midair
spacex starship launch explosion

SpaceX has launched its integrated Starship for the first time, with the spacecraft and rocket leaving the launchpad on a test flight. However, not everything went smoothly during the test, as the rocket exploded before the separation of the Starship spacecraft from the Super Heavy rocket booster.

The launch from SpaceX's Starbase facility at Boca Chica in Texas saw the Starship leave the launch pad at 9:33 a.m. ET, consisting of the integrated Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy Booster, which form the world's most powerful rocket. The combined Starship will be used for future missions to the moon and beyond, launched from a launch-and-catch tower standing at an impressive height of nearly 500 feet tall.

Read more