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Names | CRS SpX-33 |
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Mission type | ISS resupply |
Operator | SpaceX |
COSPAR ID | 2025-186A |
SATCAT no. | 65304 ![]() |
Mission duration | 4 days, 11 hours and 35 minutes (in progress) 3 months (planned) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Cargo Dragon C211 |
Spacecraft type | Cargo Dragon |
Manufacturer | SpaceX |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | August 24, 2025, 06:45:36 UTC (2:45:36 am EDT) |
Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1090.7), Flight 520 |
Launch site | Cape Canaveral, SLC‑40 |
End of mission | |
Recovered by | MV Shannon (planned) |
Landing date | December 2025 (planned) |
Landing site | Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles, Oceanside, or San Diego (planned) |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Perigee altitude | 374 km (232 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 377 km (234 mi) |
Inclination | 51.6° |
Docking with ISS | |
Docking port | Harmony forward |
Docking date | August 25, 2025, 11:05 UTC |
Undocking date | December 2025 (planned) |
Time docked | 3 days, 7 hours and 16 minutes (in progress) |
Cargo | |
Mass | 2,300 kg (5,100 lb) |
![]() Mission insignia |
SpaceX CRS-33, also known as SpX-33, is a International Space Station (ISS) cargo resupply mission contracted by NASA and operated by SpaceX. The flight, launched on August 24, 2025 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, is SpaceX's 33rd cargo delivery mission under the Commercial Resupply Services program and the company's 50th overall Dragon flight to the ISS, including both cargo and crew missions. [1]
A distinguishing feature of this mission is the inclusion of a "boost kit" propulsion module in Dragon's hollow unpressurized trunk, which is typically used to carry larger experiments that are robotically attached to the outside of the ISS. The kit comprises six dedicated propellant tanks containing hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, a helium pressurant tank, and two Draco thrusters aligned with the station's velocity vector. The boost kit is based on, but operates independently from Dragon's primary propulsion system. [1] [2] When activated, the system can add about 9 meters per second (20 mph) to the ISS's orbital velocity, equivalent to the total reboost impulse of roughly one-and-a-half Russian Progress cargo vehicles, which are normally responsible for orbit maintenance. The kit carries enough propellant to provide about one-third to one-fourth of the ISS's annual reboost needs. [1] Demonstration reboosts are scheduled to begin in September 2025 and continue periodically through the fall. [2]
The spacecraft was loaded with a total of 2,300 kg (5,100 lb) of cargo, including scientific experiments, crew provisions, and fresh food such as 1,500 tortillas. Research equipment aboard the flight supports investigations into 3D printing in microgravity and the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. [1]
The cargo manifest is broken down as follows: [3]
The spacecraft is scheduled to remain docked until December 2025, when it will undock and return research samples and cargo to Earth with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California. The pressurized capsule will be recovered for refurbishment and reuse, while the trunk containing the boost kit will be discarded to burn up in the atmosphere. [1]
Media related to SpaceX CRS-33 at Wikimedia Commons