A SpaceX vehicle that has spent about a month docked atthe International Space Stationon a resupply mission is due to depart within a matter of hours. NASAwill provide live coverageas the uncrewed spacecraft begins its return voyage Thursday, May 22. The Dragon capsule, developed byElon Musk's commercial spaceflight company todeliver cargo and crews to the orbital outpost, will then embark on a long voyage ending with a splashdown landing Friday, May 23, off the coast of California. The vehicle arrived in April with plenty of food, equipment and other suppliesfor the seven astronauts currently living aboardthe station. And it's not leaving emptyhanded: When it undocks, it will be loaded up with scientific research samples and hardware bound for Earth. Here's what to know about the resupply mission and how to watch the U.S. space agency's coverage of the Dragon's departure: For 25 years,the International Space Stationhas been stationedin low-Earth orbit, typically about 250 miles high, where it has beenhome to astronauts from all over the world. The orbital laboratory is operated through a global partnership of space agencies, including NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). More than 280 spacefarers from 23 countries have visited the International Space Station,including 169 from the United Statesalone, according to NASA. Bigger than a six-bedroom house, the outpost has six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym and a 360-degree view bay window. As of now,seven members of Expedition 73, includingthree Americans, are living aboard the ISS – conducting scientific research and working to maintain the station. The crew members aboard the station spent time Wednesday, May 21,loading and securing a variety of cargoinside the Dragon spacecraft ahead of its scheduled departure. The Dragon has spent 30 days docked to theHarmony module, a port and passageway onto the station facing away from Earth, after arriving April 22 with nearly 6,700 pounds of supplies. The spacecraftlaunched April 21on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida, for SpaceX's 32nd commercial resupply services mission. Standing nearly 27 feet tall and about 13 feet wide, theDragonis one of four cargo spacecraft that deliver science experiments and other cargo to the space station on a regular basis. Dragon capsules can also carry up to seven astronauts into orbit, thoughmost of SpaceX's Crew missions, which are contracted with NASA, feature a contingent of four. The Dragon is due to undock at about 12:05 p.m. ET Thursday, May 22, from the Harmony module before firing its thrusters to move away from the station. The departure will be under command by SpaceX's Mission Control in Hawthorne, California. NASA willprovide live coverageof the undocking beginning at 11:45 a.m. ET Thursday onits streaming service, NASA+. After re-entering Earth's atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down on Friday, May 23, off the coast of California. While NASA will post updates on the agency'sspace station blog, it will not provide a livestream of the water landing. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:SpaceX Dragon to depart space station for California landing: Watch
