SpaceX fixes two dragons to space station for the first time

For the first time, SpaceX successfully docked two dragons to the International Space Station (ISS) at the same time.

Carrying around three metric tonnes (~ 6,600 lbs) of cargo, SpaceX’s first upgraded Cargo Dragon made its maiden orbital flight and docking attempt on the first try, securing itself securely to the space station around 1:45 p.m. EST. (UTC-5) on Monday December 7th.

For the second time, Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov has thankfully managed to catch up with the inexplicably tiny handful of NASA photos released from two historic Dragon arrivals, capturing both Crew-1 and CRS-21 with spectacular detail.

There are two dragons on the @Space station at once. the # Dragon2 a cargo spaceship (an unequipped “ twin ” of the Crew Dragon) arrived yesterday and delivered scientific equipment, food, etc.

It was my first time watching a spaceship dock with the ISS. Fantastic! pic.twitter.com/XrkzUYgrsG

– Sergey Kud-Sverchkov (@KudSverchkov) December 8, 2020

Share another part of yesterday’s video @SpaceX # Dragon2 cargo spaceship docked at @Space station.

The ground speed is enormous: around 8 km / s, while the relative speed of the multitone vehicle during touchdown is only 15 cm / s – it has gone almost unnoticed. pic.twitter.com/dqZ63qn8MX

– Sergey Kud-Sverchkov (@KudSverchkov) December 8, 2020

Certainly the Single The official CRS-21 photo released by NASA to date offers the first non-screenshot view of SpaceX’s Crew-1 Crew Dragon and CRS-21 Cargo Dragon in the same frame, succinctly capturing the historic milestone.

During the NASA docking webcast, the Cargo and Crew Dragon retractable noses were also visible simultaneously, reminding that Cargo Dragon 2 is essentially a tweaked version of Crew Dragon. According to NASA, the space agency has officially signed contracts for at least nine Cargo Dragon 2 launches in total, which means that – barring additional contracts or an extension of the life of the ISS – the last unequipped Dragon flight could be CRS-29 in 2023 or 2024.

SpaceX itself uploaded a timelapse of Cargo Dragon 2’s first ISS docking taken from the spacecraft’s own camera shortly after the milestone, providing some of the best live views of a cargo arriving or arriving. ‘an ISS crew in recent memory.

Ultimately, according to SpaceX officials, Crew-1 – launched on November 15 – launched what the company believes to be at least a year of continued Dragon presence in orbit, which also means all future Dragon launches (starting with CRS-21) will see two Dragons operate simultaneously in orbit for at least a month or two. In the two-decade history of the International Space Station, only the Russian National Space Agency has achieved such a feat, acting as the sole provider of crew transport from 2011 to 2020 while simultaneously performing cargo launches. routine.

In 2021 alone, SpaceX is planning at least five – and possibly six – Dragon launches, including the first astronaut launch to use a flight-proven spacecraft and thruster, and the first fully private tourism mission to orbit. . Combined with Starlink, the consecutive operational debuts of Crew Dragon and Cargo Dragon 2 arguably make SpaceX the world leader in the production and operation of reusable satellites and spacecraft.