Chathushka Perera
New York, USA (CWBN)_ Around 1:30am (EST), SpaceX carried out another launch using an upgraded version of the Dragon capsule to carry cargo and supplies over to the International Space Station (ISS). The same capsule was used last month to carry a crew of four astronauts to the ISS.
According to the company’s Twitter handle, the capsule was provided certain upgrades so that it “can carry 50% more science payloads than previous versions.”
The cargo ferried to the station, included a Covid-19 drug experiment which is required to be carried out in microgravity, and the European Space Agency experiment, dubbed “Bioasteroid”, involving the use of microorganisms to carry out mining operations.
During a press conference, Director of Dragon Mission Management (SpaceX), Sarah Walker, said that once the capsule docks, “It’ll be the first time that there are two Dragons on the space station simultaneously. And it really ushers in a season of continuous Dragon presence for the near future, at least through the end of 2021.”
As of 2012, SpaceX has been part of the space station’s resupplying efforts and has carried out about 21 missions thus far.
