The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) launched the Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket and a Cygnus spacecraft bound for the International Space Station (ISS) from its Wallops flight facility on Friday.

A Northrop Grumman Cygnus, the commercial cargo spacecraft named the SS Kalpana Chawla after astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman to enter space, carries a 360-degree camera for spacewalking, and radish seeds for growing and a smorgasbord of fancy meats and cheeses for feasting.

The 8,000-pound shipment should reach the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, the US space agency said. “Over 8,000 lbs of cargo & @ISS_Research on @NorthropGrumman’s Cygnus spacecraft will be delivered to our orbiting lab,” Nasa said in a tweet.

Kenneth Todd, deputy ISS program manager, said, “It was a spectacular launch. I don’t think you can ever get tired of watching these night launches.”

Stashed aboard the Cygnus capsule are pressurized air tanks to help offset a vexing leak at the space station, a new $23 million titanium toilet custom fit for women, and a virtual reality camera to provide cinematic views of spacewalks and other outdoor shots.

There’s also more fresh food than usual, given that the space station population will be expanding from six to seven with SpaceX’s second astronaut launch on October 31.

The astronauts had requested delicacies including prosciutto, Genoa salami, smoked Gouda and provolone, brie, cherry tomatoes, oranges, pecans and chocolate-covered cranberries in plenty of time for Thanksgiving. They also will get a chance to enjoy their own harvest. Researchers are hoping for 40 radishes from the seeds going up, within a month, news agency Associated Press reported.

While growing radishes in orbit may sound trivial, “it is actually a transition from basic plant biology in space to a production system” that could benefit moon and Mars explorers, said Karl Hasenstein, a biology professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette who is leading the experiment.

(With agency inputs)