Launched on April 21, 2025, the SpaceX Cargo Dragon cargo ship with supplies for the ISS successfully docked with the station today at 15:40 Moscow time. It was a planned flight, but the previously proposed payload configuration was disrupted. NASA’s Cygnus cargo ship, intended for the next delivery of cargo to the station, was damaged during transportation to the launch site. It will not fly until autumn, so providing the crew with food has become a priority.
Image source: ISS
The Cargo Dragon delivered 3,021 kg of cargo to the station. Unlike other recent missions, the recent SpX-32 mission delivered significantly more supplies for the crew: 1,468 kg versus 961 kg on SpX-31 last November and 545 kg on SpX-30 in March 2024. This is not only more food in anticipation of a supply pause, but also water and oxygen for breathing.
The Cygnus cargo ship from Northrop Grumman was supposed to deliver its share of supplies to the station. The ship’s flight in the NG-22 mission was scheduled for June. During transportation to the cosmodrome, the container with the ship was so seriously damaged that the device itself was damaged. In connection with this, NASA chose to cancel the launch of the NG-22 mission. Perhaps the ship will fly in the fall as part of the NG-23 mission, but for this it must undergo a thorough examination. In any case, there will most likely be no new cargo launches to the ISS until the fall, so Cargo Dragon delivered an increased amount of supplies and consumables to the station in advance.
The priority of delivering supplies affected the mission’s scientific program. The SpX-32 spacecraft delivered only 255 kg of scientific equipment to the ISS. For comparison, the SpX-30 mission delivered 1,135 kg, and SpX-31 — 917 kg of scientific cargo.
At a prelaunch briefing on April 18, NASA officials were unable to specify how many science experiments originally planned for the SpX-32 mission had been cut to make way for additional supplies. NASA later said 14 science experiments had been removed from the program. However, more than 30 science payloads remained on board.
The scientific experiments carried to the station by Cargo Dragon include research on plant growth, an aerosol monitor to study the composition of the air inside the station, and pharmaceuticals. The spacecraft will also deliver 755 kg of cargo in an unpressurized baggage compartment: the European Space Agency’s Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) experiment, which is dedicated to testing general relativity, and the Houston 10 suite of experiments, a space test program.
At the same briefing, NASA representatives noted that there is no shortage of food and consumables on the station. “The crew is currently fully supplied with everything they need,” the agency emphasized. There will be enough supplies even if the next cargo mission SpX-33 is postponed until the end of this summer.