SpaceX Launches Dragon to the ISS
SpaceX Launches Dragon on 4th Commercial Resupply Mission to the ISS, NASA
“The spacecraft’s 2.5 tons of supplies, science experiments, and technology demonstrations includes critical materials to support 255 science and research investigations that will occur onboard the station.”
Includes the post-launch briefing news conference.
No 1st stage landing legs.. drat.
They still did a landing test, and statements on NSF indicate the landing burn did ignite. They’re checking the telemetry to see how it went.
Jeff, Terry:
SpaceX saved two tonnes of mass leaving the legs behind, not to mention the cost saving of not losing them.
Still, they could learn a lot. First would be whether the new stronger maneuvering thrusters could overcome the axial roll that happened during the Vandenberg launch last year.
Also, that weight savings will give the booster more time in the air during landing. Since it seems that the Falcon booster has proved it can land on the Z axis, zero velocity at ground level, maybe they’ll use that fuel reserve to nail down the X and Y axis too. If they want to land on a barge, they have to nail it on all three axis.
tinker
Falcon-9 v.1.1 launches are stacking up quickly this year and the sight of the orange trail of the nine Merlin-1ds fading into the skies over the Cape is becoming a routine one. This is a good thing as a regularly-launching rocket produces revenue and also increases assurance over reliability, something that more nervous customers, like NRO, will want.
Pretty cool! Thanks for sharing! Hopefully another great mission from NASA giving its gift in stars research. OSR (Online Star Register)
The NRO will also require cleared personnel (by the NRO) for payload processing and more, something SpaceX currently does not have. In the end the NRO can fly with whomever it pleases as its budgets are deep and its payloads are expensive (some $2 billion+) I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they never flew with SpaceX.
One word answer…
Astrotech, now owned by Lockmart, has all the necessary facilities.
SpaceX has a facility. They’re using the vacated USAF Satellite Processing and Integration Facility in the Solid Motor Assembly Building.
USAF closure: http://www.spacenews.com/ar…
SpaceX use (NSF thread): http://forum.nasaspacefligh…
and they’ve been hiring a lot of people lately, moving in on 4,500 people. Makes one wonder how many have worked NRO birds before?
They’re also actively converting pad 39A for USAF and crew flights. Lots of big stuff going in there very soon.
I know all of this, but the statement was about classified facilities that SpaceX does not have for payload integration.
Actually I meant classified personnel. I am sure SpaceX has the needed facilities for payload integration and check out.
You might be sure of it, but the reality might be different.
Yes, SpaceX has been hiring a lot of people–but are you aware they are hiring them as TEMPS? Not gonna get a lot of top shelf people via contracting companies and promises of a full time job IF they make the first 6 months.
People said the DoD would never use a launch vehicle with 9 engines and they are being proven wrong as the certification process looks like wrapping up in Dec this year. They also said they wouldn’t use FH and they’ll be wrong there as well. Never say never.
Cheers.
I am not against SpaceX, if they get NRO flights–God Bless’em because that endorsement in itself says a lot!
All I was saying is that the NRO has multi Billion dollar budgets billions in reserve budgets and can fly with whom they wish at any price even if it just makes them feel warm and fuzzy to fly their $2 billion + payloads on a ULA vehicle, because they can.
In the presser they stated 2 week pad turnarounds could be the norm and 1 week turnarounds are possible. Sounds like the future limiting factor could be getting payloads to the pad.
I believe what he mean’t was 2 week turnaround per pad and week between pad launches.
Either way there’ll be Falcon 9’s leaving KSC like popcorn.
What’s going to be VERY interesting is next years dual-manifested GTO launch for Asia Broadcast Satellite and Satmex. Two Boeing 702SP’s riding side-by-side in a standard Falcon 9 fairing. They’re contracted to do two such launches.
I agree, they are going to clear the manifest pretty fast if they can keep up the pace, I hope the sales increase right along with the tempo.
Last I saw they just closed 9 more contracts, have 4 about to close and expect more by the end of the year, plus some F Heavies
Side by side?
That debate was on NSF a while back.
The 702SP is 2.133m wide and 4.6m high. Stacking them vertically would make the bottom one have to be stronger/heavier. Simpler to build one type and side mount them in the 5.2m fairing. Or at least that was the argument then.
Apparently there’s another customer for this bird: the US govt. An unnamed agency bought 3, 2 to launch and a spare, last March.
I wasn’t aware that SpaceX was going to do dual payload launches. Is this as a ‘secondary’ or are both considered primary payloads?
Thanks
Congrats to the SpaceX team on another successful launch. Hope you get in CRS5 this year as well.
It was awesome! SpaceX has been doing a great job so far with camera’s on the spacecraft during launch. Reminds me of the first time I saw the view from the ET camera on the shuttle. Amazing.
It was a beautiful launch. Hope the rest of the mission proceeds as smoothly.
Am I the only one whose subconscious mind supplied a gurgling noise as the LOX was rapidly draining out of the tank just before SECO?
Am I the only one whose subconscious mind supplied a theremin noise as the LOx climbed up the side of the tank just after SECO?
http://www.youtube.com/watc…
Lovely launch!! But what annoys and astonishes me is that there are a few miscreants going on various news websites comments sections saying that Space X launches, indeed all space launches are fake special effects! What the hell?! Just when I thought the internet and some of it’s denizens couldn’t get anymore banal and stupid… 🙁
There are trolls and there are idiots and there are idiot trolls to be found everywhere. Just like dog poop on the sidewalk. Just step around it.
The neatest special effect that I ever witnessed was from the KSC press bleachers of the last Saturn V, boosting Skylab in 1973.
They must have used the world’s most powerful sound system and ultra Omnimax projection system to fake that puppy. I must admit that they completely faked me out. Until I read about it on the Interwebs, where everything is true, I was totally fooled about what I thought I saw. No fooling any more! As soon as I finish sending that money order to that Nigerian Prince, so he and I can share the fortune unjustly withheld from him, I wil help spread the word about the phonied up “launches”.
Well, why not? NASA got away with faking the moon landings, after all…
🙂
On an early Dragon mission SpaceX sent up a wheel of cheese and no mice. Now they send up a Dragon with bunch of mice and no cheese. Can we get some coordination here? 😉
Guess when they get out of control there be a cat or two manifested.
Cheers.
You can’t fool me, that’s the SpaceX office water cooler cam during a So Cal earthquake. 😉
Cool picture. I remember when Von Braun launched an S-IVB hydrogen tank cam on the Saturn AS-203 mission in 1966.
Here’s a YouTube video of the Saturn IB – SIV-B second stage hydrogen tank interior from 1966:
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Wow that is the coolest thing. I’ve never seen liquid oxygen before and this has to be the best way to see it. I notice the baffles on the bottom. Inside tank cams required from now on!!!
http://i.imgur.com/tu4J74h.png
Spacex has fired their second stage to test powered second stage reusability. Did the stage have thrusters on it to turn it around? Years ago I asked how much fuel is needed to slow a booster from orbital speed to a soft landing. How much speed should be reduced with drag and shielding? Does a falcon 9 have enough capacity to lift enough fuel or shielding to do the job or will the first fully reusable rocket have to be a falcon heavy?
Nice to see Spacex is always working on “reducing the costs to get humans into Space.”
Quote from Rand Simburg
Sections and even complete stages from the Delta II upper stage have decayed from orbit and impacted over the years, damaged but still in one piece. The F9 second stage is relatively light so thermal loads on entry are manageable, and with some modest shielding and a parachute it might make it down intact.