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CRS-21: SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon 2 lift off on a mission of firsts

After a weather delay on Saturday, SpaceX launched the CRS-21 mission to the International Space Station.

With five notable firsts on the agenda for this mission, two of them can already be crossed off: first flight of the Dragon 2 cargo capsule and the first time the crew access arm was used to load cargo.

The latter accomplishment was due to the design of the new capsule. It is, for the most part, the same as the Crew Dragon. In case you missed it, check out our article about the new Dragon 2 here.

Sunday’s launch came after Saturday’s attempt was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather in the recovery zone. The weather in Florida wasn’t all that pretty either. But Sunday was picture perfect! Take a look at some shots from our coverage:

The action continues on Monday with Dragon arriving at the station around 1:30 PM CST with an automated docking shortly thereafter (another first). A successful docking will also mark the first time that there have been two Dragons at the orbiting outpost. The last milestone will come when this Dragon returns in early January off of the coast of Florida as opposed to the California coast.

Stick with SpaceExplored.com to keep up with the progress of the CRS-21 mission. And check out our own Daryl Sausse` on Twitter @sausseimages for more beautiful launch content.

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