Watch: SpaceX Falcon 9 blasts off with 6,400 pounds of cargo
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Kennedy Space Center on Monday, sending a Dragon spacecraft and more than 6,400 pounds worth of supplies, hardware and research to the International Space Station.
Some of the items being sent are crucial materials that will be used for more than 250 science and research experiments and investigations that will be conducted on the orbiting laboratory, NASA explained.
The Dragon will spend about a month attached to the space station before returning to Earth in mid-September with the results of other experiments, NASA said.
The launch took off at 12:31 p.m. at Launch Complex 39A — the launch pad where Apollo 11 launched the manned mission to the moon in 1969.
After the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket landed successfully at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Much of Central Florida, and particularly the Space Coast, heard a sonic boom.
Experiments make up most of the 6,400 pounds of cargo. That includes 20 mice. The Dragon capsule is also doubling as an ice cream truck this time. There was extra freezer space, so NASA packed little cups of vanilla, chocolate and birthday cake ice cream for the station's crew of six, as well as ice cream candy bars. Those treats should be especially welcomed by U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, in orbit since November.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Watch: SpaceX Falcon 9 blasts off with 6,400 pounds of cargo."