(Updated) SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft set to depart space station this week | Watch live

On Thursday, June 29, a SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft will depart the International Space Station (ISS), carrying valuable scientific research samples and hardware. NASA will provide live coverage of Dragon's undocking and departure on NASA TV, the NASA app, and online, starting at 11:45 a.m. EDT.

Ground controllers at SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California, will be responsible for commanding Dragon to undock from the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module. Following undocking, the spacecraft will activate its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the ISS. The scheduled undock time is 12:05 p.m.

After re-entering Earth's atmosphere, Dragon will execute a parachute-assisted splashdown at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Friday, June 30, just off the coast of Florida.

Spaceship update! @SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft for the uncrewed #CRS28 cargo mission is scheduled to undock from the @Space_Station at 12:05pm ET (1605 UTC) on Thursday, June 29, with splashdown early Friday morning. Here's the full timeline: https://t.co/LXKql8Wmzf pic.twitter.com/2IsADOewwd

— NASA (@NASA) June 26, 2023

The SpaceX Dragon arrived at the space station on June 6 as part of SpaceX's 28th Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA. The spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Dragon will be carrying back to Earth a payload of over 3,600 pounds, consisting of supplies and scientific experiments carefully designed to leverage the microgravity environment of the space station.

Among the scientific hardware and samples returning on this mission is the GRIP (Dexterous Manipulation in Microgravity) chair, which was employed in neurology experiments sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA) called GRIP and GRASP (Gravitational References for Sensimotor Performance: Reaching and Grasping). GRIP investigates how microgravity influences the manipulation of objects, while GRASP offers valuable insights into how the central nervous system adapts to the microgravity environment. These experiments were on the space station for nearly six years, with the final in-orbit tests concluded in early 2023.

Update

The SpaceX Dragon cargo ship splashed down off the coast of Florida on Friday at 10:30 am ET, marking the completion of SpaceX's 28th cargo resupply mission.