New York (CNN) Adidas is one of the latest companies to send materials to the International Space Station in the name of science. Or, in this particular case, more comfortable footwear.

Adidas ADDDF Dozens of pellets made from the same plastic thatmelds into the soles of sneakers will arrive at the International Space Station after SpaceX launched the experiment Friday at 11:50 pm ET from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

but often packed among the cargo are some brand-name research experiments. The pellets were packed among 4,500 pounds of supplies. Over the past decade, NASA has worked with SpaceX to launch thousands of pounds of food, toiletries and other items that sustain the astronauts living aboard the International Space Station butoften packed among the cargo are some brand-name research experiments.

Adidas's plastic pellets are made of two different polymers — meaning they have slightly different molecular structures — and astronauts will watch how they behave in microgravity, Adidas says this will give its researchers a better understanding of the materials. The goal is to design shoe soles that can provide "new performance and comfort benefits for our athletes," Henry Hanson, a mechanical engineer at Adidas, said in a promotional video.

Will athletes feel a significant difference in their footwear because of this research? Only time will tell.