Activities associated with space research are in full swing at NASA. The Falcon rocket blasted the SpaceX Dragon capsule on its journey to the International Space Station with an impressive load. The capsule will meet up with the space station on Monday. It was the 20th such delivery and the spent first-stage booster of the Dragon capsule landed back at Cape Canaveral. That was a sort of record because it was also the 50th successful touchdown. An official for SpaceX said, “And the Falcon has landed for the 50th time in SpaceX history! What an amazing live view all the way to touchdown.”

Daily Mail UK says SpaceX, has been sending shipments to the ISS since 2012 and has handled a considerable volume of goods.

Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, explained that the booster managed to land back at Cape Canaveral in spite of windy conditions. That was something positive. The winds did not pose any problem and he expressed satisfaction with the way events unfolded. The retrieval of the booster is a part of the cost-saving measures to ease the financial burden. Musk introduced it for the first time in 2015. It was something new because normally, the boosters used to be written off but Musk changed the concept. In the process, he added a new dimension to space travel. He loves to innovate and always has innovative ideas up his sleeve.

Research material carried by the Dragon capsule

There are a variety of items in the holds of the SpaceX Dragon capsule.

These include among other items, snippets of grapevines. The same company that sent some bottles of red wine to the space lab last November sent the vines. They wanted to check the effects on the drinks subsequent to long term high-altitude aging. Apart from the material earmarked for experiments, there are also special treats for the astronauts who are in the International Space Station at present.

Daily Mail UK says NASA confirmed taking normal precautions to ensure issues related to the health of the crew in the space lab. Medics have approved the procedures which have been followed in the past.

Incidentally, this is the last of SpaceX's original Dragon cargo capsules. A new version will take over after this. It will be roomier and suitable for the ferry of crews. SpaceX needs to launch NASA astronauts this spring. The company has in its radar, high ambitions. One of these is to fly tourists and private researchers to the space station.

Dragon capsule on its 20th cargo mission to ISS

According to The Verge, the 20th cargo mission by SpaceX to the International Space Station was also the 50th overall rocket landing for the company. Elon Musk’s company signed a contract with NASA in 2016 for launching cargo missions to the station through 2024.

This is the last mission of SpaceX Dragon capsule No.

1. This mission will stay attached to the ISS for about a month. On its return trip, it will bring back 4,000 pounds of unwanted cargo. It is now retired and the new Dragon 2 capsule will take over. This will be necessary in view of future projects that include ferrying people to the space station later this year. Reuse of the new version is possible up to five times in space. This is an improvement over the earlier version of the Dragon capsule meant for use just thrice.

SpaceX Dragon capsule can land on the ISS on its own

Until now, astronauts onboard the ISS had to lend a helping hand to the Dragon capsule. As it came near the space lab, one of the crewmembers would capture it. A robotic arm will come into play, which will latch onto the Dragon and bring it closer to the docking port of the ISS.

The Verge says that the concept will change with the entry of Dragon 2 that can dock independently. It will be applicable to both crew and cargo versions of the new age Dragon capsule. The efforts of NASA and SpaceX are directed towards being able to handle space-related activities without the involvement of other countries.
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