The unmanned launch will deliver more than two tons of cargo, equipment, and scientific experiments to the International Space Station (ISS). Included in the is cargo a new science facility that will be installed during a spacewalk later this summer.
This was the 20th supply mission to the ISS by the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft launch vehicle atop the Falcon 9 rocket.
Included in the cargo is the European Space Agency (ESA) Bartolomeo facility that will be attached to the exterior of the European Columbus Module. Its missions include Earth observations, materials science, and astrophysics.
Additional ESA scientific and physiological study facilities delivered by this flight include studies of human intestinal diseases and human heart stem cell development in microgravity.
In a release after the launch, NASA said, that for almost 20 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space.
The first ISS module was launched in 1998, and the first long-term residents came aboard in November of 2000. Currently, the station is expected to operate at least through 2030.