Falcon 9 rocket Dragon

Space Exploration Technologies’ (SpaceX) Dragon has successfully blasted-off with around 5,000lb of Nasa science equipment, including a 3D printer, to the International Space Station (ISS) from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US.

The launch is part of a $1.6bn Nasa’s commercial resupply services contract for 12 flights, and is the fourth cargo delivery flight to the space station.

The crews of space station Expeditions 41 and 42 will use the cargo in their experiments.

Onboard the Dragon include an ISS-Rapid Scatterometer, first-of-its-kind 3D printer, biomedical hardware to facilitate studies in microgravity and other biological research, including a new plant study.

"The research team will gain valuable insight into improving 3D printing technology on Earth by demonstrating it in microgravity."

Nasa said that the 3-Dprinter technology will allow parts to be manufactured in space, would ease the need for Nasa astronauts to wait for resupply ships to arrive at the station, to receive essential items.

"The research team will gain valuable insight into improving 3D printing technology on Earth by demonstrating it in microgravity," the agency stated.

ISS-RapidScat is a remote sensing instrument that calculates surface wind speed and direction using radar pulses from the ocean’s surface from different angles, and monitors ocean winds from the vantage point of the ISS.

The Dragon is planned to reach the space station on 23 September, and will be grappled using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm.

The spacecraft is scheduled to depart the station in mid-October, and will splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, bringing almost 3,200lb of science, hardware and crew supplies.

Image: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a Dragon cargo spacecraft launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex-40 in Florida. Photo: courtesy of Nasa Television.

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