Ramona Adams
A SpaceX-built spacecraft is scheduled to leave the International Space Station on Jan. 13 after a cargo delivery mission to carry science samples back to Earth.
NASA said Tuesday the agency expects Dragon to depart from ISS at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time, then splash down in the Pacific Ocean at 10:36 a.m.
The spacecraft will bring back 4,100 pounds of cargo, including samples from human and animal research; biology and biotechnology studies; physical science investigations and education activities.
Dragon lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Dec. 15 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as part of the company’s 13th ISS resupply mission under a contract with NASA.
NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, a non-profit organization, will receive samples retrieved from Dragon and work with researchers to process and distribute the samples within 48 hours of splashdown.
