A SpaceX cargo ship blasted off toward the International Space Station on Sunday, carrying the first 3-D printer for astronauts in orbit.
The unmanned Dragon space capsule launched into orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 1:52 a.m. EDT. Ten minutes later, Dragon reached orbit and separated from the Falcon 9.
The capsule, which was sent up to deliver more than 2.5 tons of space station supplies, should reach the space station on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
"Nothing like a good launch, it's just fantastic," Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX's vice president of mission assurance, said during a post-launch briefing, according to Discovery.com. "Everything was really perfect."
The mission is SpaceX's fourth of 12 shipments for NASA under its current $1.6 billion deal. The launch this weekend took place a day later than expected after thick clouds and rain forced SpaceX to delay the launch on early Saturday (Sept. 20).
Skies were clear during the pre-dawn launch on Sunday morning however, said Sam Scimemi, NASA's International Space Station director, who added that the Falcon 9 appeared to be soaring though the constellation Orion after taking off.
"It was a beautiful night," Scimemi said, according to Discovery News.
Dragon was packed with food, clothes and science gear for the station's crew, including a new X-ray machine called the Bone Densitometer, developed by Techshot, and an experimental 3-D printer. The science instrument will help astronauts monitor winds over Earth's oceans.
"If we're really going to set up shop on Mars, we have to get there," Sheehy told reports during a briefing Friday morning. "We really can't afford to bring everything we need."
Twenty female mice were also sent up to be used in experiments, according to Reuters. Scientists said before the launch that the mice would be just fine during the 10-minute trip to low-Earth orbit.
"They move to the bottom of the cage and they hang tight until the ride is over," said Ruth Globus, a project scientist for the new rodent habitat at Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif, according to Discovery New.
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