SpaceX CRS-22

SpaceX plans to reuse the Cargo Dragons up to five times. Since it does not support a crew, the Cargo Dragon launches without SuperDraco abort engines, seats, cockpit controls or the life support system required to sustain astronauts in space.^[2][3] Dragon 2 improves on Dragon 1 in several ways, including lessened refurbishment time, leading to shorter periods between flights.^[4]

The new Cargo Dragon capsules under the NASA CRS Phase 2 contract splash down under parachutes in the Gulf of Mexico rather than the previous recovery zone in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California under the NASA CRS Phase 1 contract.^[2][4]

NASA contracted for the CRS-22 mission from SpaceX and therefore determines the primary payload, date of launch, and orbital parameters for the Cargo Dragon.^[5] The total mission payload is 3,328 kg (7,337 lb).

• Science investigations: 920 kg (2,030 lb)
• Vehicle hardware: 345 kg (761 lb)
• Crew supplies: 341 kg (752 lb)
• Spacewalk equipment: 52 kg (115 lb)
• Computer resources: 58 kg (128 lb)
• External payloads: 1,380 kg (3,040 lb) ^[6]

The new experiments arriving at the orbiting laboratory on the SpaceX CRS-22 mission support science from human health to high-powered computing, and utilize the space station as a proving ground for new technologies.^[10]

Among the investigations arriving inside the Dragon's pressurized capsule will be a variety of research experiments and studies, including:

• Develop better pharmaceuticals and therapies for treating kidney disease on Earth
• Using cotton root systems to identify varieties of plants that require less water and pesticides
• Test new portable ultrasound technology in microgravity (Butterfly IQ Ultrasound)^[11]

Two model organism investigations:

• One study will look at bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes as a model to examine the effects of spaceflight on interactions between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts.^[12]
• Second study will examine tardigrades' adaptation to the harsh environment of space, which could contribute to long-term problem solving for vaccine production, distribution, and storage on Earth

NASA Glenn Research Center studies:^[13]

• Combustion Integration Rack (CIR) Reconfiguration

Student Spaceflight Experiments Program

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) has five experiments manifested:

• Mission 14B – 3 experiments ^[14]
• Mission 15A – 2 experiments ^[15]

ISS United States National Laboratory

The ISS U.S. National Laboratory is sponsoring more than a dozen payloads with education and commercial partners.^[16] These include:

• Colgate-Palmolive – oral biofilms investigation
• Eli Lilly – investigation to examine the effects of gravity on the physical state and properties of freeze-dried pharmaceutical products

ELaNa 36: One CubeSat is scheduled for deployment on this mission:^[17]

• RamSat – Oak Ridge Public Schools (Robertsville Middle School), Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Nanoracks CubeSat deployments:

• SOAR – University of Manchester, United Kingdom and the DISCOVERER consortium with EU/EC Horizon 2020 funding.^[18]

UNOOSA / JAXA KiboCUBE program:^[19]

• MIR-SAT1 – Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC)^[20]
• G-SATELLITE 2 – OneTeam, Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG)^[21][22]

Beginning with returning capsules or lifting bodies under the CRS-2 contract, NASA reports major hardware (failed or expended hardware for diagnostic assessment, refurbishment, repair, or no longer needed) returning from the International Space Station. The SpaceX CRS-22 mission ends on 10 July 2021, this is a two-day delay from the original undocking target of 6 July 2021 as a result of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Elsa causing weather concerns at the splashdown zones,^[23] with re-entry into atmosphere of Earth and splash down in the Gulf of Mexico near the western coast of Florida with 2,404 kg (5,300 lb) of return cargo.

• Catalytic Reactor Developmental Test Objective (DTO): developmental environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) unit returning for testing, teardown, and evaluation (TT&E) to determine the cause of failure and subsequent re-flight
• Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Distillation Assembly: critical ECLSS orbital replacement unit used for urine distillation, processing, and future use returning for TT&E and refurbishment to support future spares demand
• Sabatier Main Controller: major Sabatier system hardware used in conjunction with the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) for water production needs on-orbit
• Rodent Research Habitats (AEM-X): habitats used during Rodent Research missions returning for refurbishment to support future missions in early 2022
• Nitrogen/Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) Recharge Tank Assembly (RTA): empty gas tanks returning for reuse to support high-pressure gas operations and activities on-orbit ^[6]

• Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station