SpaceX launched the 23rd NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-23) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on August 29. The Dragon spacecraft arrived to the orbiting laboratory on August 30, delivering over 4,800 pounds of cargo. After a month docked to the ISS Harmony module, Dragon is scheduled to return on Thursday, September 30. It will bring back more than 4,600 pounds of supplies and the results of science research conducted at the ISS Lab by Expedition 65 astronauts.

SpaceX’s CRS-23 Dragon will undock autonomously from the Space Station at 9:05 a.m. EDT. as SpaceX Mission Control staff monitors the operation at its headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Expedition 65 “NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough will monitor the process from inside the station’s Cupola,” the agency said, “Cargo Dragon will fire its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the station prior to a deorbit burn later in the day that will begin its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.”

The re-entry sequence is expected to take place approximately 14-hours after Dragon undocks from ISS. The vehicle will make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida at around 11:00 p.m. EDT. NASA Television will only broadcast the undocking operation starting at 8:45 a.m. on September 30 and not the splashdown. You can watch it Live in the video linked below. 

NASA and SpaceX recovery teams will attempt to recover the spacecraft from the ocean as soon as possible to unpack important science cargo. “The experiments were designed to take advantage of microgravity aboard the space station – the short transportation timeframe allows researchers to collect data from them with minimal sample exposure to Earth’s gravity,” the agency said. They will transport the experiments to NASA’s Space Station Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. 

This past week has been filled with microgravity research for the @Space_Station crew. Check out what they’ve been working on!https://t.co/LHQcynTKqz pic.twitter.com/xCkjgB48gX

— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) September 24, 2021

ISS Expedition 65 Commander Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration (JAXA) started to pack cargo on Friday aboard SpaceX Dragon to prepare for return to Earth. The science research results that CRS-23 Dragon will return to Earth include:

The 'Ring Sheared Drop' experiment which "examines the formation and flow of abnormal proteins, called amyloids, in the absence of solid walls, which can influence chemical interactions." The results of this research will help scientists better understand neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s.

The 'Anti-Atrophy' research is another experiment Expedition 65 astronauts conducted in microgravity that will return aboard CRS-23 Dragon. Astronauts tested "the ability of biomaterials to inhibit muscle atrophy in microgravity." Through this experiment, researchers hope to produce pharmaceuticals to prevent muscle atrophy on Earth and in space environments.

The results of 'Genes in Space-8' research will also be shipped back to Earth next week. Through this research, astronauts tested a technology that monitors gene expression in space, specifically in a liver. Scientists hope to figure out if spaceflight affects vital organs. Analyzing the gene expression in space conditions may help medical engineers develop new therapies and technology for humans adapt to spaceflight. 

WATCH IT LIVE!

Featured Image Source: NASA Expedition 65