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Falcon 9 rocket with Dragon resupply ship launches to orbital outpost

The Dragon spacecraft will deliver various cargoes to the orbital outpost for carrying out scientific experiments

Falcon 9 rocket AP Photo/John Raoux

Falcon 9 rocket

© AP Photo/John Raoux

NEW YORK, August 29. /TASS/. A US SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to deliver a Dragon resupply ship to the International Space Station, according to a live broadcast on SpaceX’s website.

The Falcon 9 launch vehicle with the Dragon cargo spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 3:14 a.m. EDT (10:14 a.m. Moscow time) as part of the 23rd Commercial Resupply Services mission. The Dragon resupply ship is set to dock to the ISS in the automatic mode at 11:00 a.m. EDT (6:00 p.m. Moscow time) on August 30.

After the launch, SpaceX will land the Falcon 9 carrier rocket’s first stage on a drone ship located in the Atlantic Ocean. Falcon 9’s first stage booster was previously used in three space launches.

The Dragon spacecraft will deliver various cargoes to the orbital outpost for carrying out scientific experiments. In particular, the space freighter will deliver instruments to help identify and fight eyesight problems. It will also bring various materials to the ISS, including concrete, composites and substances that protect against radiation.

The Dragon cargo spacecraft’s previous launch took place on June 3 when the space freighter delivered 3.3 tonnes of cargo to the ISS, including food and materials for a series of scientific experiments and also two new solar panels.

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