SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with four astronauts aboard redocks to new port

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully docked to the forward port of the Harmony module of the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, May 6.

The Dragon Endeavour with Expedition 69 crew members Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg of NASA, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev aboard redocked to its new port at 8:01 a.m. EDT.

Live Now: The #Crew6 astronauts are relocating their @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to a new docking port on the @Space_Station ahead of a cargo resupply mission. Undocking is scheduled for 7:10am ET (1110 UTC), with redocking targeted for 7:53am (1153 UTC). https://t.co/fQlTDFNKAr

— NASA (@NASA) May 6, 2023

Today's Dragon relocation, which was the 27th spacecraft relocation in station history, was aimed at making room for the arrival of the uncrewed SpaceX CRS-28 cargo mission targeted no earlier than Saturday, June 3, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX's 28th commercial resupply mission for NASA will deliver new science investigations, food, supplies, and equipment for the international crew, including the next pair of IROSAs (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays). The relocation will enable the Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and access the cargo inside the resupply ship's trunk.

Other investigations launching on this mission include a camera that will observe snow and ice coverage in northern Canada and Genes in Space-10, a student-designed DNA experiment sponsored by ISS National Laboratory, among others.

According to NASA, cargo resupply missions conducted by U.S. companies play a crucial role in enhancing its capabilities and facilitating a wide range of investigations aboard the space station. By regularly delivering essential supplies, equipment, and scientific payloads to the orbiting laboratory, these commercial resupply missions enable the agency to expand its scientific endeavours and contribute to advancements that have a positive impact on life on Earth.