After delaying its launch yesterday, SpaceX successfully launched Falcon 9 on Sunday morning, sending its newest Cargo Dragon 2 spacecraft towards the International Space Station (ISS) as part of its commercial resupply services (CRS) contract with NASA.
The upgraded Cargo Dragon 2 is carrying 6,400 pounds (2,903 kilograms) of supplies and science investigations towards the ISS, along with Christmas treats for the crew.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the 100th successful launch for the rocket. Today’s launch is also SpaceX’s 21st cargo mission or NASA, the 24th of 2020.
Falcon 9 also successfully landed just under 10 minutes later onto the SpaceX drone ship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You’, in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s just incredible every time we witness a Falcon 9 landing, allowing it to be reused yet again.
In about 24 hours Cargo Dragon will reach the ISS and mark the first time two Dragon capsules will be docked simultaneously at the station. This upgraded Dragon is certified to fly up to five missions and when it lands, it will be in the Atlantic Ocean instead of the Pacific, allowing for quick retrieval as it returns to SpaceX and NASA engineers.
Check out the replay of today’s SpaceX Falcon 9 launch below:
The next SpaceX launch is pegged for December 10, 2020, when the first of two next-generation SiriusXM satellite payloads will be sent to space, aboard the Falcon 9 B1051.
