CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – A SpaceX shipment of ants, avocados and a human-sized robotic arm fired into the International Space Station Sunday.
The delivery, which will arrive on Monday, is the company’s number 23 for NASA in just under a decade.
A recycled Falcon rocket exploded against the premeditated sky from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. After lifting the Dragon’s capsule, the reinforcement of the first stage landed vertically on SpaceX’s newest ocean platform, called “A Gravity Deficiency.” SpaceX founder Elon Musk continued his tradition of naming booster recovery ships in honor of science fiction writer Iain Banks and his Culture series.
The dragon carries more than 4,870 pounds (2,170 kilograms) of supplies and experiments and fresh food, including avocados, lemons and even ice cream for the seven space station astronauts.
Girl Scouts send ants, prawns, and plants as test subjects, while scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison fly seeds from the ear of the mouse, a small flowering weed used in the genetic research. Samples of concrete, solar cells and other materials will also be subjected to weightlessness.
Meanwhile, the robotic arm of a Japanese start-up company will attempt to screw items into its orbital debut and perform other mundane tasks that astronauts normally do. The first tests will be done inside the space station. Future models of the Gitai Inc. robot they will venture into the vacuum of space to practice satellite and other repair work, said Toyotaka Kozuki, chief technology officer.
As early as 2025, a squadron of these weapons could help build lunar bases and exploit the moon for precious resources, he added.
SpaceX had to stop some experiments due to delays resulting from COVID-19.
It was the second attempt to launch; Saturday’s attempt was thwarted by the stormy weather.
NASA approached SpaceX and other U.S. companies to deliver cargo and crew to the space station after the space shuttle program ended in 2011.
