SpaceX Dragon Prepares for Undocking and Return to Earth

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft approaches the International Space Station for an automated docking to the Harmony module’s forward port on May 17, 2026. Dragon delivered nearly 6,500 pounds of food, supplies, and equipment for the Expedition 74 crew. ESA/Sophie Adenot NASA’s live coverage of the undocking and departure of 34th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA is underway on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media. The unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will undock at approximately 12:05 p.m. EDT from the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module and fire its thrusters to move safely away from the orbital complex. On Wednesday, June 17, Dragon will reenter Earth’s atmosphere before splashing down off the coast of California at approximately 5:08 a.m. PDT. NASA will not stream the splashdown but will post updates on its space station blog.  Dragon will return to Earth with thousands of pounds of cargo in one of the most research-packed returns in commercial resupply mission history, carrying samples that could shape future space exploration and life on Earth. Research returning on this mission includes bioprinted organ and cartilage tissue, data on improving cryogenic fuel storage for future space missions, and DNA‑inspired materials to develop new cancer treatments. The returning hardware includes an ocular imaging device used to monitor crew members’ eye health, a sorbent bed that filters trace contaminants from cabin air, and a separator pump from the waste and hygiene compartment.   Loaded with nearly 6,500 pounds of crew cargo and science experiments, Dragon arrived at the station on May 17 after launching two days earlier on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.  Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_stationon X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts. Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here. The post SpaceX Dragon Prepares for Undocking and Return to Earth appeared first on NASA Science.