SpaceX launching 25th cargo mission to the ISS

Karthik Naren
Jul 14, 2022
3 min read

Soil, Satellites, and Climate Modeling Among Investigations Riding Cargo Dragon-2 C208 takes off on mission SpX-25/CRS-25

The Falcon 9 B1067.5 rocket from the Cargo Dragon CRS-25 mission is already at the launch site, installed vertically on the LC-39A launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center (Florida). The launch of the 25th International Space Station resupply mission by SpaceX commissioned by NASA is scheduled for July 15, 2022, at 00:44 UTC (20:44 EDT) time on the 14th). The spacecraft's arrival at the station is scheduled for approximately 11:20 am EDT on Saturday, July 16. Dragon will autonomously dock at the forward port of the station's Harmony module, with NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Bob Hines monitoring operations. The spacecraft (Dragon-2 C208.3) is expected to spend about a month docked before returning to Earth with return payloads, landing off the coast of Florida.

Dragon C208/Falcon 9 B1067.5 poised at LC-39A (Ben Cooper)

This launch will use the 1st stage B1067 (on its 5th flight) and the Cargo Dragon C208 spacecraft on its 3rd mission, with a planned landing on the A Shortfall of Gravitas “ASOG” Droneship platform towed by the support ship Doug at about 300 km downrange the take-off location. The weather forecast predicts 70% 'Go' for July 15th and 16th (00:18 UTC), and 60% 'Go' for July 16th (~23:56 UTC). All additional risk criteria are low for all three days.

Dragon will carry more than 5,800 pounds (2.63 tons) of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations like EMIT, which will identify the composition of mineral dust from Earth’s arid regions and analyze dust carried through the atmosphere from deserts to see what effects it has on the planet, further advancing NASA’s data contributions to monitoring climate change.

Other science investigations include studying the aging of immune cells and the potential to reverse those effects during post-flight recovery, a CubeSat that will monitor cloud top and ocean surface temperatures which could help scientists understand Earth’s climate and weather systems, and a student experiment testing a concrete alternative for potential use in future lunar and Martian habitats.

NASA's Launch Services Program will send five CubeSats to the International Space Station as part of the ELaNa 45 (Educational Nanosatellite Launch) mission aboard CRS-25. The small satellites were selected through the CubeSats Launch Initiative, which provides low-cost access to space for U.S. educational institutions, NASA centers and others to develop and demonstrate new technologies in space and inspire and develop the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technologists. CubeSats were developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the Weiss School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida; and the University of Southern Alabama at Mobile.

BeaverCube CAD Overview. Image by M. Campbell (MIT).

The satellites are:

BeaverCube, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

3U size CLICK A, MIT/Space Systems Laboratory

D3 size 3U, University of Florida 2U size, Gainesville

JAGSAT 1, University of South Alabama

CapSat 1 size (Satellite Capacitor 1), 1U size from Weiss School

TUMnanoSAT (Technical University of Moldova), 1U size from Moldova

NASA has selected more than 200 missions for CubeSats from more than 100 organizations representing 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico through the CubeSats Launch Initiative since 2010. To date, 134 satellites have been launched into space through opportunities at ELaNa.