The Cargo Dragon also is loaded with research

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"And in addition to the two solar arrays, we have some life support equipment being delivered, some GPS hardware, some exercise hardware and some medical equipment. ... All in all, we're looking for an exciting mission."

Also on board: belated Thanksgiving treats for the station's seven-member crew, including spicy green beans, cranapple desserts and pumpkin pie.

"In addition, our standard food menu allows them to have everything that we'd be having on Thanksgiving, you know, mashed potatoes, candied yams, mac and cheese for those who want mac and cheese. So we're going to get those guys fed very well."

gear, including an experiment to grow dwarf tomatoes in space, an experimental in-flight medical diagnosis kit, an experiment to test novel techniques for building large structures in microgravity and another that will test new ways to produce key nutrients in space.

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A camera on the Falcon 9's second stage captures a view telegram database of the Dragon cargo ship floating away after reaching orbit. A set of rolled-up solar array blankets is visible in the spacecraft's unpressurized trunk section.
NASA TV
The ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays, or IROSAs, are the third and fourth of six being installed on the space station in a $103 million upgrade to augment the power output of the lab's eight older, original-equipment blankets.

The space station was built with four huge rotating solar wings, two on the right side of the lab and two on the left. Each of those four wings is made up of two solar blankets extending from opposite sides of a central hub.

The first pair of original-equipment blankets have been in operation for more than 20 years.