SpaceX Launches Christmas Gifts & Feast Into ISS To Cheer Up Homesick Astronauts
This week, SpaceX launched Christmas gifts, snacks, and supplies into the International Space Station, with the mission coincidentally marking the company’s 100th successful rocket landing.
According to Phys.org, a Dragon capsule with more than 6,500 lbs of goods was loaded onto the Falcon rocket before it blasted off to be received by the station’s seven astronauts. The launch included the first flight of one of SpaceX’s first-stage boosters, which the company is now reusing to make space travel more economically friendly.
“It’s critical to lower the cost of spaceflight to continue to reuse these boosters more and more times. A hundred is a big milestone, so we’re excited about that. We’re also excited to see how few new boosters we have to produce as the years go by,” said SpaceX’s Mission Manager, Sarah Walker.
Aboard the rocket were Christmas presents from the astronauts’ families, and holiday goodies such as smoked fish, turkey, green beans, and fruit cake for the crew to have a festive feast in space.
Other items making their way to the crew include a new laundry detergent experiment, which is part of Procter & Gamble’s plans to develop a fully-degradable detergent that astronauts can use in orbit.
Joel Montalbano, NASA’s space station program manager, told reporters he wouldn’t give away any other secrets as to what’s being delivered. He said: “I won’t get in front of Santa Claus and tell you what’s going to be sent up.”
