The WINTERTIME project brings UHTCMC materials to the International Space Station (ISS) for ageing tests lasting 12–18 months.
NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply mission, carrying the UHTCMC materials designed and developed by CNR-ISSMC researchers during the C3HARME project, was successfully completed.
On November 4, 2024, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying over 2,700 kilograms of supplies for the orbiting laboratory, lifted off at 21:29 (GMT-5) on Monday, November 4, 2024. It was launched aboard the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida (video).
As scheduled, the spacecraft autonomously docked on November 5th at around 10:15 at the forward port of the Harmony module of the Space Station.
This resupply mission will support dozens of research experiments conducted during Expedition 72. In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Dragon will deliver several new experiments, including materials from the AO-2020-Euromaterialageing program.
These are just a few of the hundreds of experiments conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the fields of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space sciences. These research efforts benefit humanity and lay the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis campaign, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future missions to Mars.
The Dragon spacecraft will remain at the Space Station until December, when it will depart the orbiting laboratory and return to Earth.
For more information:
Luca Zoli, luca.zoli@cnr.it
