CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- SpaceX has launched a used supply ship on a used rocket to the International Space Station.
The Falcon rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Monday, hoisting a Dragon capsule full of food, experiments and other station goods for NASA.
The Dragon and its 6,000-pound shipment should reach the space station Wednesday. The station astronauts will use a robot arm to grab it.
It's the second trip to the orbiting lab for this particular Dragon, recycled following a visit two years ago.
The Falcon's first-stage booster also flew before -- last summer.
SpaceX has combined a recycled Dragon and a recycled Falcon once before. The company aims to reduce launch costs by reusing rocket parts.
The space station is currently home to astronauts from the U.S., Russia and Japan.
Equipment sent to the ISS will be used for the following experiments:
- The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, an Earth observatory that will study severe thunderstorms and their role in the Earth’s atmosphere and climate.
- An investigation that seeks to better understand how the lack of gravity affects a process used to produce high-performance products from metal powders. This research could lead to improved manufacturing techniques.
- Continuing research on growing food in space, as the Veggie Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System experiment tests a new way to deliver nutrients to plants.