Following a weather review due to poor weather in the splashdown zone off the coast of Florida, NASA and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than 5:05 pm ET on Thursday, December 21, for the company’s 29th Dragon Commercial Resupply Services mission to undock from the International Space Station (ISS).

In November 2022, SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft, loaded with more than 7,700 pounds of scientific instruments, supplies and cargo, approached the International Space Station 264 miles above the Atlantic Ocean between South America and Africa, preparing for docking. Source: NASA

Coverage of Thursday's Crew Dragon launch will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service online or in the NASA app. There will also be a live broadcast on NASA TV, YouTube and the NASA website.

After the supply spacecraft re-enters the Earth's atmosphere, it will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA television.

NASA and Northrop Grumman continue to target Friday, December 22, for the departure of the Cygnus spacecraft from the orbital complex.

Coverage of the Cygnus spacecraft's departure on Friday will begin at 7:45 a.m., followed by coverage of the spacecraft's robotic release at 8:05 a.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. There will also be a live broadcast on NASA TV, YouTube and the agency's website.

Cygnus will conduct a secondary payload operation after unloading and safely return to the Earth's atmosphere and burn harmlessly over the Pacific Ocean.

The picture shows SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft leaving the vicinity of the space station after undocking from the space-facing port of the Harmony module. Image source: NASA

SpaceX's CargoDragon is a key factor in promoting the development of commercial aerospace, especially the field of cargo transportation. The "Cargo Dragon" developed by SpaceX is a variant of the "Dragon" spacecraft designed to transport supplies, equipment, and sometimes scientific experiments to the International Space Station (ISS). The distinctive feature of this spacecraft is its ability to return large amounts of cargo to Earth, which is something that all cargo spacecraft do not have.

The cargo Dragon spacecraft is part of NASA's Commercial Supply Services program and has been operating since 2012. It represents a big step forward for reusable spacecraft technology, as SpaceX has successfully demonstrated the ability to refurbish and relaunch these vehicles, significantly reducing the cost of access to space.

File photo of Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft under the control of the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm. Source: NASA

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo spacecraft is another key player in commercial spaceflight, especially in resupplying the International Space Station. Originally developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now part of Northrop Grumman), Cygnus was designed under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. Unlike the cargo Dragon, Cygnus is primarily a one-time spacecraft that will burn up and be scrapped in the Earth's atmosphere after its mission is completed.

Cygnus has been operating since 2013 and is capable of delivering pressurized and unpressurized cargo to the International Space Station. The spacecraft usually launches from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia on an Antares rocket and plays a vital role in maintaining the continuous supply of scientific research and necessities to the orbiting laboratory.

Compiled source: ScitechDaily