The Cargo Dragon is launched without SuperDraco abort engines, without seats, cockpit controls and the life support system required to sustain astronauts in space.

[6][8] NASA contracted for the CRS-24 mission from SpaceX and therefore determines the primary payload, date of launch, and orbital parameters for the Cargo Dragon C209.

SpaceX CRS-24 carries over 2,989 kg (6,590 lb) of science experiments, instruments, supplies, hardware, and Christmas presents up to the ISS and the crew of Expedition 66.

Rodent Research-18 investigates how spaceflight affects visual function, examining changes in the vascular system of the retina and the ways specific cells interact.

This mission will specifically test metalloporphyrin, an antioxidant that may protect against the irreversible oxidative damage observed in eye structure and function during and after spaceflight.