[ad_1]
CAP CANAVERAL, Fla .– SpaceX launched its 21st rocket of the year today (August 29), sending a robotic Dragon cargo capsule to the International space station (ISS) before nailing a landing at sea.
One step in two Falcon 9 rocket took off from Launch Complex 39A here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 3:14 a.m. EDT (07:14 GMT), kicking off the company’s 23rd cargo refueling mission to the orbiting laboratory from NASA. The Dragon contains more than 4,800 pounds (2,200 kilograms) of supplies, science experiments and equipment, including a new robotic arm that will be tested inside the space station’s Bishop airlock.
A little less than eight minutes after takeoff, the Falcon 9 first stage returned to Earth, landing on one of the EspaceXThe drone sails in the Atlantic Ocean during a soft landing. The massive ship, called “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” is the newest of three drone ships in the company’s salvage fleet that catch falling boosters and return them to port for later reuse.
“This is the 90th successful landing of an orbital-class rocket and the very first of our new drone, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’,” SpaceX’s Andy Tran said during a webcast of the launch this morning. “What a great way to start today’s mission.”
Related: How SpaceX’s Dragon space capsule works (infographic)
Launch details
Dragon is due to arrive at the station and dock at the space-oriented port of the Harmony module on Monday (August 30) at around 11:00 a.m. EDT (3:00 p.m. GMT). There is already another SpaceX vehicle in the orbiting laboratory: the Crew Dragon “Endeavor”, which launched on April 23, carrying a crew of four astronauts. (This isn’t the first time that two Dragons have been parked at the same time; in fact, there has been at least one Dragon docked to the space station every day so far in 2021.)
Weather officials from the 45th Space Force Weather Squadron predicted uncertain weather conditions for the mission’s first attempt to launch, scheduled for August 28. Unfortunately, bad weather at the launch site resulted in a 24 hour delay.
Fortunately, the forecast improved dramatically overnight and Falcon 9 was able to take off as planned.
The first-stage booster featured in today’s flight, known as B1061, was an aviator on three occasions. The launcher now has four missions under his belt, having hoisted his third Dragon spacecraft.
Today’s landing marked the 90th recovery of a Falcon first stage from SpaceX recovered its first booster in 2015.
Related: Watch a SpaceX rocket ace land on a drone in stunning new video
Freight transport
Newly launched Dragon cargo transports a treasure trove of scientific investigations at the orbital outpost, including a new robotic arm that will be tested inside the station’s newest airlock. As part of a technology demonstration, the robotic arm will operate switches and pushbuttons in an attempt to prove that it has what it takes to perform routine astronaut tasks.
Also on board are a variety of medical payloads that will benefit astronauts as well as the inhabitants of Earth. One of these payloads, called the Nanofluidic Implant Communication Experiment (NICE), will test a new drug delivery device. The tiny implant could change the way people receive their medications and manage chronic illnesses.
Traditional means of drug delivery include bulky pumps, but that may soon change. The device would be implanted in a patient’s arm and deliver medication at set intervals, allowing the patient to go about their business, the researchers said. This type of device would be incredibly useful for patients like those with rheumatoid arthritis and those who need to take medication at any time of the day.
Another experiment, called MISSE-15, will examine different materials and their reaction to the space environment. Samples of things like concrete, solar panels and more will be exposed to the harsh environment of space to test potential materials for new spacecraft and more.
But that’s not all. According to Joel Montalbano, head of the ISS program for NASA, the crew will also receive special treats in the form of fresh food and even ice cream.
“We are sending a fair amount of fruit,” Montalbano said at a pre-launch press conference on Friday August 27th. “We have lemons, onions, avocados, cherry tomatoes and also ice cream. It’s a big hit with our team.”
In total, there are over 4,800 pounds (2,200 kg) of cargo that will help astronauts perform various research experiments as well as restock the station.
Summer has been busy in the resort, with the arrival and installation of new solar panels, a new Russian science module, and a Northrop Grumman Cygnus freighter.
“Working with SpaceX and working with our other commercial suppliers has been just an exceptional partnership that we have established between NASA and the commercial industry,” said Montalbano. “We are delighted to launch this mission and bring this incredible science to the station.”
A new generation of dragons
The gumball-shaped capsule is the third upgraded Dragon cargo ship to launch to the station after SpaceX retired its previous iteration of Dragon freighter in 2020. It is also the third to be launched on this Falcon 9.
Designed to hold around 20% more cargo, the current model is nearly identical to its crew-powered counterpart and is larger inside than its predecessor.
The craft can even store propelled payloads in orbit and can stay stationed twice as long as previous cargo dragons. Another key improvement is that freighters will now land in the Atlantic Ocean (compared to the Pacific landings of past flights), providing a quicker return on science.
This means researchers can retrieve their samples and data faster, in as little as four to nine hours after ditching. And SpaceX can recover the vehicle faster and start performing inspections and maintenance before the Dragon’s next flight.
Because the new version of Dragon is better equipped to handle the stress of a water landing, SpaceX crews are able to inspect and refurbish it faster, with less downtime between flights. The Flying Dragon Today was first launched on CRS-21 last year and now has two flights to its name.
When it docks at the orbital outpost on Monday morning, two previously piloted Dragons will be parked at the same time.
SpaceX’s Sarah Walker, who heads the company’s Dragon program, said it was the fourth Dragon to launch this year, and at least one more is expected to launch before the end of 2021.
In fact, this will be the third year in a row that at least four Dragon spacecraft have been launched, Walker said. She also said that at least one Dragon spacecraft has been stationed at the ISS every day so far this year.
Falcon Ferry
This flight is the 21st for SpaceX Falcon 9’s workhorse so far this year and marks 105 consecutive successful missions since the company’s failed launch in 2015. (A second anomaly has occurred on the pad in 2016.)
This is also the 90th successful takeover of a first stage booster for the company.
Today’s flight featured a veteran Falcon 9 rocket. The thruster, known as the B1061, now has four successful flights to its name, three of which transported different Dragon spacecraft to the space station. This is the first SpaceX flight in nearly two months from Cape Town. The company’s latest flight, which took off on June 30, delivered more than 80 small satellites into space, during a carpool mission called Carrier-2.
The lull in launches could put the brakes on SpaceX’s plan to launch around 40 rockets in 2021, most of which would carry its own Starlink satellites into space. Unfortunately, necessary satellite upgrades took longer than expected, resulting in a temporary disruption of the launch. But now the company is back in business with a busy fall, including the launch of the Crew-3 mission to the space station as well as Inspiration4, which will send four private citizens into orbit.
SpaceX relies on a fleet of reusable rockets to maintain a high launch rate. This means that instead of using a brand new rocket each time, the company can reload their recovered boosters multiple times.
It is thanks to a set of Falcon 9 upgrades received in 2018, as well as a fleet of drones to catch returning boosters.
SpaceX now has three of these huge ships: “Sure, I still love you,” “Just read the instructions,” and the last ship in the neighborhood, “A lack of Gravitas. “
The company recently sent “Of course I still love you” on a trip to the West Coast, where the ship will facilitate recovery operations for missions launched from SpaceX’s California launch pad at Space Force Base Vandenberg.
After years as CEO of SpaceX Elon musk promising the arrival of a new drone ship, “A Shortfall of Gravitas” arrived in Port Canaveral on July 15th. The massive ship is fully self-sufficient and even able to make its way to the recovery area where it will wait for the boosters to return. (The other two company vessels must be towed by a tug.)
For its first mission, the ASOG was towed by tug to the landing zone, where it made its first capture less than eight minutes after take-off.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
[ad_2]
Source link