Watch SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule head for home today after historic ISS-boosting mission
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Credit: NASA
A SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule will detach from the International Space Station today (February 26) and you will be able to watch its departure live.
The robot Dragon is scheduled to blast off today at 12:05 p.m. EST (5:05 p.m. GMT), ending a roughly six-month orbital stay during which it demonstrated a new ISS-boosting capability.
You can watch the undocking live here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or directly via the space agency. Coverage will begin at 11:45 a.m. EST (4:45 p.m. GMT).
SpaceX’s CRS-33 Dragon robotic cargo capsule approaches the International Space Station to dock on August 25, 2025. | Credit: NASA
The dragon arrived to the International Space Station (ISS) on August 25, delivering approximately 5,000 pounds (2,270 kilograms) of scientific supplies and equipment to astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory. It was the 33rd robotic cargo flight of this type EspaceX performed for NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program.
The capsule also conducted other useful work during its current mission, known as CRS-33.
For example, it “introduced a new capability to reboot the space station, helping to maintain its altitude and counter-atmospheric drag, which is critical for safe operations and the long-term sustainability of the orbital complex,” NASA officials said in a statement. statement Monday (February 23).
“While docking with the station, Dragon completed six reboosts – five in 2025 and a final maneuver on January 23 – before preparations for departure began,” they added.
Such raises have historically been carried out by the Russian military. Progressive cargo. However, it is not known whether Russia will do so remain a partner of the ISS throughout the life of the orbiting laboratory, which is expected to be decommissioned at the end of 2030.
If Russia leaves the consortium earlier than expected, other recovery methods will be necessary. Dragon just showed it can get the job done, and Northrop Grumman Swan cargo ships did it too.
Progress, Cygnus and Japan HTV-X spacecraft – the other currently operational ISS cargo ships – are all designed to burn in Earth’s atmosphere when their missions are accomplished. But Dragon is reusable, which means it can also carry cargo down. And it carries a lot of gear to pack the CRS-33.
For example, Dragon is canceling experiments from the Euro Material Aging study, “which exposed 141 samples in space for a year to examine how coatings, insulators and 3D printed materials degrade,” NASA officials said in the same statement.
It also carries material from the Thai Liquid Crystal Experiment, which “observed the stability of films used in electronics in microgravity”, they added. “Both could lead to more powerful spacecraft, better displays and improved optical devices on future missions.”
The CRS-33 Dragon will crash under parachutes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday, February 27 at approximately 2:44 a.m. EST (0744 GMT), if all goes according to plan. Its re-entry and landing will not be broadcast live.
