The arrival marked SpaceX’s 35th commercial resupply mission to the orbiting laboratory under contract with NASA. Along with everyday items for astronauts, Dragon carried a collection of scientific experiments that could help researchers develop new treatments and better understand how matter behaves in microgravity.

ISS experiments include an artificial retina, brain organoids and heart tissue

One of the most important payloads aboard Dragon was the final set of the International Space Station’s rollout solar arrays, known as IROSA. The panels are designed to expand the station’s power-generation capacity, supporting its operations and scientific research. Installation is scheduled for the second half of fall.

The spacecraft also delivered equipment for manufacturing retinal prostheses in microgravity, the near-weightless environment aboard the space station. Researchers hope that building these structures in space could eventually contribute to technology capable of restoring vision for people on Earth.

Another experiment features a 3D heart-tissue model that reproduces key characteristics of human heart tissue. Scientists plan to use the models to improve methods for testing large numbers of potential drugs during future space missions.

Dragon also carried materials for studying how new types of glass form in microgravity. Examining the process without the influence of Earth’s normal gravity could provide new insight into how materials develop and behave.

A separate experiment involves brain organoids, small three-dimensional models of brain tissue grown from cells. These miniature models allow scientists to investigate aspects of brain biology that are difficult to study directly in humans. Researchers hope the findings could reveal potential targets for treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

When will SpaceX Dragon return to Earth?

Dragon is expected to remain docked with the space station until mid-November. At the end of its mission, the spacecraft will return to Earth with critical research materials and other cargo, completing its journey with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

The mission began on October 13 at 6:33 a.m. EDT, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.