A little while ago, the SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in its CRS-23 (Cargo Resupply Service 23) mission, also referred to as SPX-23. After almost exactly 12 minutes it separated successfully from the rocket’s last stage and went en route. This is the 23rd mission, the 3rd for the Dragon 2 version, for the Dragon spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station with various cargoes and then return to Earth, again with various cargoes.

The Dragon 2 spacecraft’s cargo is a little over 2,200 kg (a little more than 4,300 lbs) between the pressurized and the non-pressurized section. There are about 480 kg (1,058 lbs) of food and other supplies for the International Space Station crew but most of the cargo consists of instruments, hardware, and various other materials needed for science experiments and research conducted aboard the Station.

Among the biological and medical experiments, there’s READI FP, which aims to evaluate the effects of microgravity and radiation in space on the growth of bone tissue and to test if bioactive metabolites can protect bones during space flights. That’s important research because bones weaken over time in microgravity and these experiments can also help in the fight against osteoporosis.

Astronauts’ eyes can also suffer in microgravity, and Retinal Diagnostics will be used to capture images of their retina to document the problem technically known as Space-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS).

Among the tools sent on this Dragon space freighter, there’s the Nanoracks-GITAI Robotic Arm, which will be tested in various types of potentially dangerous activities. The experiments will be conducted in Nanoracks’ Bishop Airlock, the first commercial airlock, but similar tools could be used on Earth in hazardous environments.

The Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage landed on the new SpaceX drone ship, called “A Shortfall of Gravitas”. Like the other two drone ships, the name is a homage to one of the starships of Iain M. Banks’s Culture series called “Experiencing A Significant Gravitas Shortfall.”

With the CRS-23 mission, the reuse of the Dragon 2 space freighters started: this one is the same used for the CRS-21 mission. Its arrival is scheduled for Monday: at about 11 UTC, the Dragon is scheduled to dock with the Station with an automatic maneuver.