SpaceX has launched its 30th cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA (March 21, 2024) to deliver 3 tons of supplies and scientific equipment to the orbiting laboratory.
This was reported by Space.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying an unmanned Cargo Dragon spacecraft launched from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) at the Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The CRS-30 mission was the first cargo launch from SLC-40 since March 2020. Since then, the site has been equipped with a new launch tower that allows for more efficient cargo loading and modernized crew support equipment.
Before the SLC-40 was modernized, the payload was loaded when the rocket was horizontal and then raised vertically before launch. However, thanks to the new launch tower, this operation has received significant improvements. This allows for more efficient cargo loading and modernization of equipment to support future launches, including those involving human spaceflight.
Sarah Walker, Director of Mission Control, SpaceX Dragon
The first stage of the Falcon 9 booster returned to Earth and made a vertical landing in SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 about eight minutes after launch. This was the sixth launch and landing of a launch vehicle.
The Cargo Dragon CRS-30 capsule separated from the top of the rocket less than 12 minutes after launch. The spacecraft will spend approximately two days on its way to the ISS, with rendezvous and docking scheduled for 7:30 a.m. EST on March 23.
More than 2.7 thousand. kg of scientific materials, maintenance equipment, two new sets of coffee, fresh fruits and vegetables and other food for the station’s residents were loaded aboard Dragon on CRS-30. This shipment includes a new spare pump stored in the Dragon’s trunk, which will be integrated into the space station’s external thermal circuit system.
The CRS-30 will dock at the Harmony module’s anti-aircraft port and remain there for a month before de-orbiting and returning to Earth.
