Orbiting 250 miles above the planet, NASA astronaut Anil Menon marked his 50th birthday in a way few could ever. He received a special delivery package.

After a 51-hour orbital pursuit that began with a dazzling pre-dawn launch, SpaceX’s cargo Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station’s Harmony module on October 15. 

The mission was designated Commercial Resupply Services CRS-35. It brought over 6,300 pounds of vital supplies, cutting-edge science experiments, and a surprise birthday delivery for Menon, who served as the prime crew member monitoring the automated rendezvous.

Menon launched to the ISS in July on Soyuz MS-29 for an eight-month stay. Hence, he was midway through his extended mission when CRS-35 arrived. 

The journey began two days earlier at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, where a Falcon 9 rocket roared to life and climbed into the morning sky. 

Launched near dawn, the rocket lit up the upper atmosphere and gave spectators along the US East Coast a glowing “space jellyfish” from its expanding exhaust plumes.

Traveling at a high 17,500 mph, Dragon executed a series of precise thruster burns to catch up with the station as both spacecraft sped over South Africa. Docking proceeded flawlessly. 

Dragon autonomously attached to the space-facing zenith port on the station’s Harmony module, bringing a fresh supply line to the newly arrived Crew-13 astronauts, who took over station operations earlier this month.

The Dragon spacecraft is delivering a diverse range of operational equipment and advanced scientific experiments to support the orbital laboratory.

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