SpaceX Cargo Dragon CRS-22 leaving the International Space Station on 8 July 2021. ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is on his second mission to the International Space Station called Alpha and took this video.

Thomas commented on social media with the text: “2021 A Space Odyssey: I am living in science fact, but it resembles science fiction from just a few decades ago! SpaceX Cargo Dragon leaving us last week with music that the unique Stanley Kubrick turned into an iconic soundtrack for space.”

Dragon launched 3 June 2021 from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, USA and arrived at the Space Station a little less than 16 hours later. The spacecraft delivered more than 3000 kg of research investigations, crew supplies, and vehicle hardware to the orbiting outpost. Dragon’s external cargo carried six new ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs), that Thomas and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough installed during three spacewalks on June 16, 20, and 25.

Over 200 experiments are planned during Thomas’ time in space, with 40 European ones and 12 new experiments led by the French space agency CNES.

Latest updates on the Alpha mission can be found via @esaspaceflight on Twitter, with more details on ESA’s exploration blog via thomaspesquet.esa.int

Background information on the Alpha mission is available at www.esa.int/MissionAlpha with a brochure at www.esa.int/AlphaBrochure