Robot, plants to blast off on upcoming SpaceX mission to ISS

When the commercial space firm’s Dragon spacecraft launches Saturday, it will be loaded with experiments dedicated to probing everything from bone and eye health to the dexterity of robots.

SpaceX is targeting Saturday for the launch of its next resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), and it plans to have some fascinating scientific experiments in tow. When the commercial space firm’s Dragon spacecraft launches along with its Falcon rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the United States, it will be loaded with research projects dedicated to exploring everything from astronauts’ bone and eye health to the dexterity of robots and how plants handle stress, NASA announced ahead of the launch.  It will also include an experiment dedicated “plant growth, ant colonization, and the brine shrimp lifecycle” designed by a group of Girl Scouts from central Florida, the US space agency confirmed.