NASA to Cover 33rd SpaceX Resupply Mission Station Departure
NASA and its international partners will receive samples and scientific research materials when a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft leaves the International Space Station on Thursday, February 26, and returns to Earth.
Watch NASA’s live coverage of the undocking and departure of the agency’s 33rd SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services mission starting at 11:45 a.m. EST on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content on various online platforms, including social media.
A Dragon spacecraft will autonomously detach from the Harmony module’s forward-facing port at 12:05 p.m. and fire its thrusters to move safely away from the space station. Landing is expected later this evening around 11:44 p.m. PST off the California coast. NASA will not broadcast the landing but will post updates on its space station blog.
Several scientific investigations return aboard Dragon, offering information that could help shape future space exploration and life on Earth. The Euro Material Aging study exposed 141 samples in space for a year to examine how coatings, insulators and 3D printed materials degrade, while Thailand’s liquid crystal experiment observed the stability of films used in electronics in microgravity. Both could lead to more powerful spacecraft, better displays and improved optical devices on future missions.
Frozen samples from the Stellar Stem Cells Mission 2 experiment are helping to study how microgravity affects the growth of brain and heart stem cells, which could improve treatments for diseases such as ALS and Parkinson’s. The SpaceDuino project is paving the way for more low-cost instruments after successfully measuring vibrations using a commercially available single-board computer and open source software. The Moon Microscope also successfully tested a portable diagnostic kit for blood analysis in space that could support future missions to the Moon and Mars.
The Dragon spacecraft supporting the mission also introduced a new capability to reboot the space station, helping to maintain its altitude and counter-atmospheric drag, which is essential for safe operations and the long-term sustainability of the orbital complex. While docked with the station, Dragon completed six reboosts – five in 2025 and a final maneuver on January 23 – before preparations for its departure began.
Loaded with thousands of pounds of crew supplies, scientific experiments and equipment, the spacecraft arrived at the station on August 25, 2025, after launching a day earlier on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral space station in Florida.
For more than 25 years, humans have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and achieving research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. While commercial enterprises focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust economy in low Earth orbit, NASA is focusing its resources on deep space missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis campaign in preparation for future astronaut missions to Mars.
Get the latest space station news, images and features on Instagram, Facebook and X.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
-END-
Josh Finch/Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov
