SpaceX Dragon docks at ISS with solar arrays and research cargo

SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, completing a two-day trip that began with a launch from Florida. NASA said the uncrewed vehicle connected to the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module at 10:27 a.m. EDT on October 15.

The flight, SpaceX's 35th commercial resupply mission for NASA, brought more than 6,300 pounds of food, equipment and research supplies for the Expedition 75 crew. NASA had previously announced a planned docking time of about 11 a.m.

Among the cargo is the final set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays. NASA says the arrays are scheduled for installation later this fall.

Dragon also carried hardware for experiments involving artificial retinas and three-dimensional heart tissue models. NASA describes these as research intended to explore possible future applications, including vision restoration and drug testing. Those potential uses are research goals, not treatments demonstrated by this cargo flight. Other materials will support studies of glass formation in microgravity and brain organoids.

The spacecraft launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:33 a.m. EDT on October 13. NASA expects Dragon to remain at the station until mid-November, then return time-sensitive research and other cargo to Earth in a splashdown off California.