SpaceX has launched the CRS-35 cargo mission to the International Space Station using a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. The uncrewed Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the Harmony module on October 15.
The mission carries approximately 2.86 metric tons of cargo, including new iROSA solar arrays to boost the station's power capacity. Scientific payloads include equipment for manufacturing artificial retinas and testing heart tissue models in microgravity.
Researchers have also sent brain organoids to study neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis, alongside samples for glass formation experiments.
Dragon will remain docked for about a month before returning to Earth with experimental results. It will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
Dragon remains the only operational cargo vehicle capable of returning supplies from the ISS to Earth. Other vessels like the Russian Progress, Japanese HTV-X, and American Cygnus XL burn up upon reentry.
