SpaceX CRS-33 to ISS from Cape Canaveral with bone-loss study

SpaceX is preparing to launch its 33rd Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral, Florida, sending a Dragon cargo capsule loaded with more than 5,000 pounds of food, equipment and scientific experiments. Liftoff is planned for the early hours of Sunday, with the Dragon expected to autonomously dock at the ISS about 29 hours later, on Monday morning. The mission will also feature a planned set of engine burns to help boost the station’s orbit, a capability that will be demonstrated for the first time on this flight.

The payload set for CRS-33 includes a suite of biology and materials science investigations designed to advance long-duration human spaceflight and offer potential Earthly benefits. A key medical study will examine how microgravity affects bone-forming and bone-degrading cells, building on prior findings that bone density declines despite regular exercise aboard the station. Researchers are focusing on mesenchymal stem cells and the signaling pathways influenced by interleukin-6, a protein that may drive bone loss in space. The Microgravity Associated Bone Loss, or MABLB, investigation will test approaches to block...