SpaceX CRS-30 Launch

After boosting a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station for the company’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket returns to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Dragon will deliver more than 6,200 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA and partner research including a look at plant metabolism in space and a set of new sensors for free-flying Astrobee robots to provide 3D mapping capabilities. Other studies include a fluid physics study that could benefit solar cell technology and a university project from CSA (Canadian Space Agency) that will monitor sea ice and ocean conditions. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida. Liftoff occurred at 4:55 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at CCSFS.