SpaceX CRS-31, sometimes identified by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

as CRS SpX-31, was an American

cargo spacecraft Uncrewed spacecraft or robotic spacecraft are spacecraft without people on board. Uncrewed spacecraft may have varying levels of autonomy from human input, such as remote control, or remote guidance. They may also be autonomous, in which the ...

flight to the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

(ISS), which launched on 5 November 2024. The mission was operated by

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...

under a

Commercial Resupply Services Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) are a series of flights awarded by NASA for the delivery of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) on commercially operated spacecraft. The first phase of CRS contracts (CRS-1) were sign ...

(CRS) contract with NASA. The spacecraft was a Cargo Dragon, serial number C208. This mission marked capsule C208's fifth flight.

Launch

CRS-31 launched from

Launch Complex 39A Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) is the first of Launch Complex 39's three launch pads, located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The pad, along with Launch Complex 39B, was built in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V lau ...

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field c ...

on 5 November 2024 at 02:29:31

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

(4 November, 9:29:31pm EST, local time at the launch site).

Manifest

The Cargo Dragon spacecraft was loaded with a total of of cargo and supplies before its launch, including of pressurised and of unpressurised cargo. The cargo manifest is broken down as follows: * Crew supplies: * Science investigations: * Spacewalk equipment: * Vehicle hardware: * Computer resources:

Research

Various experiments were transported to the orbiting laboratory aboard the Cargo Dragon. These are four of the projects highlighted by NASA:

Measuring solar wind

The CODEX (Coronal Diagnostic Experiment) examines the solar wind, creating a globally comprehensive data to help scientists confirm theories for what heats the solar wind which is a million degrees hotter than the Sun's surface and sends it streaming out at almost a million miles per hour. The investigation uses a

coronagraph A coronagraph is a telescopic attachment designed to block out the direct light from a star or other bright object so that nearby objects – which otherwise would be hidden in the object's bright glare – can be resolved. Most coronagr ...

, an instrument that blocks out direct sunlight to reveal details in the outer atmosphere or corona. The instrument takes multiple daily measurements that determine the temperature and speed of electrons in the solar wind, along with the density information gathered by traditional coronagraphs. A diverse international team has been designing, building, and testing the instrument since 2019 at NASA's

Goddard Space Flight Center The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C., in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Established on May 1, 1959, as NASA's first space flight center, GSFC ...

Greenbelt, Maryland Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,921. Greenbelt is the first and the largest of the three experimental ...

Antarctic moss in space

A radiation-tolerance experiment, ARTEMOSS, uses a live Antarctic moss,

Ceratodon purpureus ''Ceratodon purpureus'' is a dioicous moss with a color ranging from yellow-green to red. The height amounts to 3 centimeters. It is found worldwide, mainly in urban areas and next to roads on dry sand soils. It can grow in a very wide variety of ...

, to study how some plants better tolerate exposure to radiation and to examine the physical and genetic response of biological systems to the combination of cosmic radiation and microgravity. Little research has been done on how these two factors together affect plant physiology and performance, and results could help identify biological systems suitable for use in bioregenerative life support systems on future missions. Mosses grow on every continent on Earth and have the highest radiation tolerance of any plant. Their small size, low maintenance, ability to absorb water from the air, and tolerance of harsh conditions make them suitable for spaceflight. NASA chose the Antarctic moss because that continent receives high levels of radiation from the Sun.

Exposing materials to space

The Euro Material Ageing investigation from the

European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...

includes two experiments studying how certain materials age while exposed to space. The first experiment, developed by

Centre National d'Études Spatiales CNES () is the French national space agency. Headquartered in central Paris, the agency is overseen by the ministries of the Armed Forces, Economy and Finance and Higher Education, Research and Innovation. It operates from the Toulouse Spac ...

, includes materials selected from 15 European entities. The second experiment looks at organic samples and their stability or degradation when exposed to ultraviolet radiation not filtered by Earth's atmosphere. Predicting the behavior and lifespan of materials used in space can be difficult because facilities on the ground cannot simultaneously test for all aspects of the space environment. The exposed samples are recovered and returned to Earth.

Repairing spacecraft from the inside

Nanolab Astrobeat investigates using

cold welding Cold welding or contact welding is a solid-state welding process in which joining takes place without fusion or heating at the interface of the two parts to be welded. Unlike in fusion welding, no liquid or molten phase is present in the join ...

to repair perforations in the outer shell or hull of a spacecraft from the inside. Less force is needed to fuse metallic materials in space than on Earth, and cold welding could be an effective way to repair spacecraft. Some micrometeoroids and space debris traveling at high velocities could perforate the outer surfaces of spacecraft, possibly jeopardizing mission success or crew safety. The ability to repair impact damage from inside a spacecraft may be more efficient and safer for crew members. Results also could improve applications of cold welding on Earth as well.

ISS reboost

CRS-31 was the first Dragon to perform an

ISS The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), ...

"reboost". On 8 November 2024 at 17:50UTC, fired its aft-facing

Draco DRACO (double-stranded RNA activated caspase oligomerizer) is a group of experimental antiviral drugs formerly under development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In cell culture, DRACO was reported to have broad-spectrum efficacy aga ...

thrusters at for 12.5 minutes adjusting the station’s orbit by at apogee and at perigee. Periodic reboosts counteract atmospheric drag on the station. The American Cygnus and Russian

Progress Progress is movement towards a perceived refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. It is central to the philosophy of progressivism, which interprets progress as the set of advancements in technology, science, and social organization effic ...

cargo spacecraft also regularly perform reboosts during missions to the ISS. This reboost test will aid in developing the SpaceX United States Deorbit Vehicle as changes in orbit, trajectory and velocity will be carefully observed. NASA is also believed to be testing its ability to maneuver the station with just Cygnus and Dragon spacecraft in the event that the

Russian Orbital Segment The Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed in Russia and operated by the Russian Roscosmos. The ROS handles Guidance, Navigation, and Control for the entire Station ...

, which historically has handled reboosting and maneuvering the station, is abandoned or separated from the

US Orbital Segment The US Orbital Segment (USOS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed and operated by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Canadian ...

References

External links

{{Orbital launches in 2024 SpaceX Dragon 2 SpaceX payloads contracted by NASA Supply vehicles for the International Space Station Spacecraft launched in 2024 2024 in the United States Spacecraft which reentered in 2024