![\"The](\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/spacestation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2021\/01\/spacex_cargodragon_undock4.jpg\")
<\/a>With NASA astronaut Victor Glover<\/a> monitoring aboard the International Space Station<\/a>, an upgraded SpaceX cargo Dragon spacecraft undocked from the International Docking Adapter on the station\u2019s space-facing port of the Harmony module at 9:05 a.m. EST.<\/p>\n It is the first undocking of a U.S. commercial cargo craft from the complex. Previous cargo Dragon spacecraft were attached and removed from the space station using the station\u2019s robotic Canadarm2.<\/p>\n Dragon will fire its thrusters to move a safe distance from the space station during the next 36 hours. On Wednesday, Jan. 13, Dragon will conduct a deorbit burn at 7:37 p.m. to begin its re-entry sequence into Earth\u2019s atmosphere. Dragon is expected to splash down west of Tampa off the Florida coast about 8:27 p.m. The splashdown will not be broadcast.<\/p>\n The upgraded cargo Dragon capsule used for this mission contains double the powered locker availability of previous capsules, allowing for a significant increase in the research that can be carried back to Earth.<\/p>\n Splashing down off the coast of Florida enables quick transportation<\/a> of the science aboard the capsule to the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center\u2019s Space Station Processing Facility, delivering some science back into the hands of the researchers as soon as four to nine hours after splashdown. This shorter transportation timeframe allows researchers to collect data with minimal loss of microgravity effects. Previous cargo Dragon spacecraft returned to the Pacific Ocean, with quick-return science cargo processed at SpaceX\u2019s facility in McGregor, Texas, and delivered to NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston.<\/p>\n Dragon launched<\/a> Dec. 6 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, arriving at the station just over 24 hours later and achieving the first autonomous docking of a U.S. commercial cargo resupply spacecraft. The spacecraft delivered more than 6,400 pounds of hardware, research investigations and crew supplies.<\/p>\n Get space station news, images and features via social media on Instagram at: @iss<\/a>, ISS<\/a> on Facebook, and on Twitter @Space_Station<\/a> and @ISS_Research<\/a>.<\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a><\/p>\n Mark Garcia <\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With NASA astronaut Victor Glover monitoring aboard the International Space Station, an upgraded SpaceX cargo Dragon spacecraft undocked from the International Docking Adapter on the station\u2019s space-facing port of the Harmony module at 9:05 a.m. EST. It is the first undocking of a U.S. commercial cargo craft from the complex. Previous cargo Dragon spacecraft were \u2026 Continue reading