SpaceX launches next-generation Dragon freighter to space station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled a next-generation SpaceX freighter into orbit on Sunday, the first in a new line of larger and better-performing Dragon capsules, including many more advanced systems used by the company. Crew dragon astronaut ferry ships.

Making the company’s 21st refueling to the International Space Station – the first under a subsequent NASA contract – the new Cargo Dragon was loaded with more than 6,500 pounds of crew supplies, spares, scientific and other equipment, including a commercial airlock for on-board experiments.

Unlike the original Dragon cargo ship, which had to be captured by the space station’s robot arm for docking, the Dragon 2 is designed to fly on its own to docking in the same ports used by the Crew Dragon piloted spacecraft. Unlike the crewed version, however, the freighter is not equipped with seats or an emergency stop system.

With a day’s delay due to inclement weather, the long-awaited mission began at 11:17 a.m. EST when the nine Merlin 1D engines on the Falcon 9’s first stage came to life with a torrent of flame, sending the rocket 229 feet away from high. pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

It was the 24th Falcon 9 launch so far this year, the 101st since the rocket launched in 2010, the 21st SpaceX ISS cargo launch, and the first for a Dragon 2 capsule.

Accelerating to 1.7 million pounds of thrust, the rocket quickly moved away northeast, climbing directly into the plane of the space station’s orbit – a requirement for spacecraft trying to catch up and overtake dock with a target moving at nearly 5 miles per second.

Two and a half minutes after takeoff, now well out of the thick lower atmosphere, the first stage, making its fourth flight, fell and flew off to land on a SpaceX drone downstream. It was SpaceX’s 68th successful booster recovery and the 47th at sea.

The second stage of the Falcon 9, meanwhile, continued its ascent into space, releasing the Dragon 2 capsule into the preliminary orbit planned 12 minutes after launch. If all goes well, the capsule will make an appointment with the station on Monday, guiding itself for a docking at the upper port of the Harmony module before around 1:30 p.m.

The space station is equipped with eight docking ports, four used by Russian spacecraft and four at the front of the laboratory which are available for US cargo ships and crew ships. Two of the US ports are used by visiting freighters who need the station’s robotic arm to pull them to dock.

The other two US ports, however, are equipped with mooring mechanisms that can accommodate automated links by the SpaceX crew and the cargo dragons and Boeing’s CST-100 Starlink ferry. The Crew Dragon spacecraft that carried four astronauts to the station last month is docked at Harmony’s most forward port, while the Dragon 2 freighter will make the first dock at the module’s upper port facing space.

SpaceX has won $ 3.04 billion worth of NASA contacts for 20 space station refueling flights through 2020 using the original Dragon cargo ship design and contracts for an unspecified amount covering at least nine additional flights through 2024 using the Dragon 2 spacecraft. The capsule launched on Sunday is the first of these.

SpaceX also holds a $ 2.6 billion contract from NASA to build and launch the Crew Dragon pilot capsule to transport astronauts to and from the space station. So far, three crew dragons, two with astronaut crews and one without, have docked at the station.

For its maiden flight, the pressurized cabin of the Dragon 2 freighter was loaded with 803 pounds of crew supplies; 2,100 pounds of scientific equipment; 265 pounds of spacewalk equipment; 698 pounds of vehicle equipment; 102 books of computer equipment; and 53 books of Russian material.

A 2,400-pound airlock developed by Nanoracks, a company that facilitates flights by the private sector, universities and government-sponsored experiments, was stored in the unpressurized trunk section of the capsule. The airlock will be attached to the far left port of the Tranquility module and periodically detached, exhibiting the experiences inside and mounted on its exterior to the void of space.

The station already has a Japanese experiment airlock, but the Nanoracks unit, known as the Bishop Airlock, is about five times the size, project manager Brock Howe said.

“There are a lot of different environments that scientists can use, lots of different volumes, lots of payload power and data capabilities on board the airlock that will really improve their ability to do really cool science,” he said. -he declares.

Other equipment aboard the Dragon 2 includes parts for the new generation female-friendly toilets recently delivered by the laboratory, equipment for the station’s water recycling system, a nitrogen tank for the repressurization of the cabin and a rodent habitat with research specimens.

Among the experiments underway, two are designed to study how microgravity affects heart and brain tissue and another called “BioAsteroid” which will explore the role microbes could play in future space mining operations.

“BioAsteroid is an experiment to study whether we can use microorganisms, bacteria or fungi, to extract economically interesting elements from asteroid materials,” said lead researcher Charles Cockell, professor of astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh.

“It’s basically what we would call a bio-extraction experiment, and we’re hoping to find out if we can use microbes to extract things like rare earth elements and other elements that can be used to maintain a presence. human self-sustaining throughout the solar system.