SpaceX CRS-9

The launch of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle with the Dragon ship took place at 04:45 UTC on July 18, 2016 from the SLC-40 launch complex at Cape Canaveral . 9 minutes after launch, the ship was launched into orbit 204 × 355 km, the inclination is 51.66 ° ^[1] .

First Stage Return

After the launch, SpaceX carried out a controlled descent of the lower stage of the rocket to a specially equipped landing complex at Cape Canaveral with the aim of its reuse ^{[2] [3] [1]} .

On July 20, 2016 at 10:56 UTC, ISS long-term mission commander Jeffrey Williams and NASA flight engineer Kathleen Rubins captured the Dragon ship with the Canadarm2 robotic arm ^{[4] [5]} . Then the Dragon ship was moved with this “hand” to the Harmony docking module, through which it was finally docked to the ISS at 14:03 UTC ^[6] .

Dragon delivered 2257 kg of payload to the ISS . In the pressurized compartment delivered 1790 kg (including packaging), including ^[7] :

• Materials for scientific research - 930 kg
• Provisions and things for the crew - 370 kg
• Equipment and station details - 280 kg
• Equipment for EVA - 127 kg
• Computers and accessories - 1 kg
• Russian cargo - 54 kg

An IDA-2 dock adapter for the Crew Dragon and CST-100 Starliner manned spacecraft was delivered in an unpressurized container. The weight of the adapter is 467 kg ^[7] . On August 16, the adapter will be removed from the container by the Kanadarm2 manipulator and transferred to the Dextr manipulator , which will install it on the PMA-2 adapter (PMA-2 is already docked to the Harmony module). During the next spacewalk, scheduled for August 18, the adapter will be permanently fixed to PMA-2 ^{[8] [9]} .

Materials for more than 250 scientific studies were delivered to the station, among which ^{[10] [11]} :

• Biomolecule Sequencer - for the first time, an apparatus for DNA sequencing was delivered into orbit; earlier, DNA samples for research were sent from the station to Earth;
• Mouse Epigenetics is a study by the Japanese space agency JAXA , aimed at studying changes in RNA transcriptome and gonocytes in mice after a month spent in space. The first experiment in which mice will be returned alive to Earth. As part of the experiment, 12 mice were delivered to the ISS and for the first time, mice were exposed to artificial gravity in 1g on the ISS. The mice were returned to Earth upon the return of this ship ^[12] ;
• Phase Change Heat Exchanger - a device to demonstrate the new technology of thermoregulation of a spacecraft;
• OsteoOmics - an experiment that allows you to determine whether it is possible to simulate the state of free fall on Earth using magnetic levitation , to study the effect of microgravity on bone cells;
• Heart Cells - study of the effects of microgravity on cardiomyocytes ;
• Gumstix - study of the effect of radiation on electronics and computer technology in near-earth orbit;
• NanoRacks Nano Tube Solar Cell - a new type of three-dimensional high-efficiency photocells based on carbon nanotubes will be tested with a constant change in the angle of incidence of sunlight, temperature and radiation effects in low Earth orbit. Like Gumstix, the samples will be placed on the external experimental platform of the Japanese Kibo module for a period of six months or more.

At 21:00 UTC on August 25, Dragon was undocked from the station using the Kanadarm2 manipulator ^[13] , and released at 10:11 UTC on August 26. The ship returned to the earth 1547 kg of cargo, including about 580 kg of samples and the results of scientific experiments. Among other things, one of the spacesuits that was used to launch astronauts into outer space was returned from the station for examination ^{[14] [15]} .

The ship was splashed in the Pacific Ocean 525 km off the coast of California at 15:47 UTC on August 26, 2016 ^[16] .

• CRS-9 Dragon Resupply Mission (eng.) - Press review of the mission.