AlQa'dah 22, 1433, Oct 8, 2012, SPA - The first private spacecraft loaded with a delivery for the International Space Station launched Sunday night from Florida, DPA reported. The unmanned Dragon transport capsule, belonging to the Space Exploration Technologies Corp, or SpaceX, began its second trip to the station with an 8:35 pm (0035 GMT Thursday) liftoff from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the company and the US space agency said. A Falcon 9 rocket was used to propel Dragon on the start of the first of a planned 12 deliveries to the station under a 1.6-billion-dollar contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Engineers had given the likelihood of a timely launch as low right up until liftoff because rain had been predicted. Dragon, the world's first private cargo capsule, was scheduled to dock with the station Wednesday with its 455 kilograms of cargo, including scientific experiments, food, clothing and spare parts. The reusable spacecraft, which was under development for a decade, made a test flight to the station in May, confirming that NASA could start handing off cargo transport to private industry after it retired its ageing space shuttle fleet last year so it could concentrate on Mars and moon exploration. Among the experiments carried by Dragon in its latest mission is one that could have implications for genetic modifications in the world's future food supply, SpaceX said. The experiment would look at how low gravity affects cell growth in a rock cress plant, the first plant to have its entire genome sequenced. "About 50 per cent of the energy expended by terrestrial-bound plants is dedicated to structural support to overcome gravity," SpaceX said. On board Dragon is also a treat for the astronauts. A freezer is carrying ice cream swirled with chocolate sauce for the station's three-member crew. "We try to bring up what we call 'bonus food' for the crew, and this is one of those flights that will have that," said Michael Suffredini, NASA's manager for the space station programme.
