Skip to main content

SpaceX Dragon spacecraft delivers new solar arrays and more to ISS

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station this morning, Sunday, November 27, carrying a wide range of scientific experiments as well as a pair of new solar arrays for the station’s ongoing power system upgrades. Launched on Saturday, November 26 at 2:20 p.m. ET using a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Dragon traveled yesterday afternoon and throughout the night to dock with the station at 7:39 a.m. ET this morning.

Docking confirmed! #CRS26 was soft-captured by the @Space_Station at 7:39am ET (1239 UTC) over the Pacific Ocean. pic.twitter.com/nXOMKBMysq

— NASA (@NASA) November 27, 2022

The Dragon docked with the station’s Harmony module, and as it was uncrewed its docking was overseen by NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada. The Dragon, part of the mission named CRS-26, joins a busy space station where craft are parked including the Crew-5 Dragon which carried astronauts to the station in October, a Cygnus-18 spacecraft that brought supplies on an uncrewed launch earlier this month, a Russian Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft which carried two cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut to the station in September, and two Russian Progress resupply ships.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo craft lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station on Nov. 26, 2022.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo craft lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station on Nov. 26, 2022. NASA

Included in the Dragon were a number of scientific experiments and technology demonstrations as well as supplies totaling 7,700 pounds, which will now be unloaded from the Dragon and into the space station. The Dragon will remain docked with the station for around one month before it is filled with cargo and the results of completed scientific experiments and is returned on an uncrewed flight to Earth.

Recommended Videos

Part of the delivery made by the Dragon is two new solar arrays for the space station. Called International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays, or iROSAs, these arrays are to be deployed at an offset above the station’s existing array, as part of a long-term project to upgrade the station’s power system. Even though the new arrays are smaller than the old arrays, they still produce the same amount of power due to improvements in technology. Some of these new arrays have already been deployed, while the newly arrived arrays will be deployed in upcoming spacewalks.

“These solar panels, which roll out using stored kinetic energy, expand the energy-production capabilities of the space station,” NASA writes. “The second set launching in the Dragon’s trunk once installed, will be a part of the overall plan to provide a 20% to 30% increase in power for space station research and operations.”

Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
SpaceX reveals date for next flight of Starship megarocket
The Starship launching from Starbase in October 2024.

SpaceX has revealed that it is targeting Monday, November 18, for the sixth test of the Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket comprising the first-stage Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft.

The massive vehicle, which creates around 17 million pounds of thrust at launch, is set to be used by NASA for crew and cargo missions to the moon, and possibly even Mars, though there’s still much testing to be done.

Read more
A SpaceX Crew Dragon is doing a shuffle at the ISS — here’s how to watch
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov approaches the International Space Station as it orbits 259 miles above Oregon.

This week will see a special maneuver at the International Space Station (ISS) as a SpaceX Crew Dragon takes one of the tiniest flights ever, hopping just a few meters over from one port of the station to another. And NASA will live stream the event, so you'll be able to watch the spacecraft take this short flight as it happens.

The changeover is necessary to make space for another SpaceX craft that will arrive on Monday, October 4. But this new arrival won't carry any crew as it is a cargo craft, part of the 31st commercial resupply services mission by SpaceX. This new arrival will dock at the forward-facing port on the Space Station's Harmony module, as it is easiest for craft to dock there than on the space-facing side. But the Crew Dragon is currently occupying this port, so it needs to undock, move to the other space-facing port, and redock there.

Read more
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft has set a new record
SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft.

SpaceX’s Crew-8 members are finally on their way home after spending nearly eight months at the International Space Station (ISS).

The crew members were supposed to depart the ISS several weeks ago, but poor weather conditions at the splashdown site off the coast of Florida prompted mission planners to delay the homecoming. Prior to that, delays to departure were caused by measures to deal with Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft, which was docked at the station over the summer.

Read more