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Blobrana · L

RE: Dragon Spacecraft

Blobrana · L

SpaceX rocket launch delayed until at least Thursday

The first commercial attempt to re-enter a spacecraft from orbit is put on hold.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was due to liftoff from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Tuesday.
The issue was discovered when technicians were taking a look at final closeout pictures of the rocket early Monday morning.
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Blobrana · L

SpaceX moves back launch date, raises $50 million

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., the privately owned, Hawthorne-based rocket venture, bumped back the maiden launch of its Dragon spacecraft to carry out more testing.
The first flight of the capsule, which is being designed to carry cargo and crew for NASA, is now slated for Dec. 7. It had been scheduled for Nov. 20.
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Blobrana · L

Hawthorne-based rocketry firm SpaceX says this month's test of a parachute system to land a cargo or crew capsule safely in an ocean was fully successful.
The private company, which is developing low-cost rockets, said Friday that on Aug. 12 a capsule was lifted by a helicopter to an altitude of 14,000 feet and released over the Pacific off Morro Bay
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Blobrana · L

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announces the successful activation of its new Dragon spacecraft communication hardware aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a series of operations conducted in January and March.
Dubbed the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Communication Unit, the new system will allow ISS crew members to monitor and command approaching or departing Dragon spacecraft during cargo delivery missions to the orbiting laboratory.
Space Shuttle Atlantis delivered the system hardware to the ISS during mission STS-129 in November 2009. The on-orbit checkout began January 25, 2010, when astronaut Jeff Williams, ISS Expedition 22 Commander, worked with ground-based team members at SpaceX headquarters and ISS mission control in Houston to power-up and check out the new system.
On March 11, SpaceX and NASA Houston performed an additional series of tests, using the new system to send communications between the ISS and the NASA Dryden ground station. This provided a baseline of the radio frequency performance and confirmed the first set of antennas performed as expected and is ready for mission operations. Additional testing is expected for a second set of antennas as well as ongoing verification of the overall system.

Source SpaceX

Blobrana · L

SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle is now vertical at Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral
The full flight-ready Falcon 9 launch vehicle with Dragon qualification spacecraft has been raised to vertical on the launch pad at SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Source SpaceX

Blobrana · L

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) recently conducted a three-day long demonstration of cargo loading and unloading procedures for its Dragon spacecraft, which NASA has contracted to provide delivery services to the International Space Station (ISS) starting in 2010.
SpaceX hosted a group of NASA personnel at its corporate headquarters in Hawthorne, CA, including astronauts Marsha Ivins and Megan McArthur, and other key personnel from NASAs Johnson Space Centre in Houston.
The tests covered a range of procedures using actual NASA cargo modules, in a variety of standard sizes, including powered cargo modules that provide temperature control for sensitive items such as medical and biological samples during their journey to the ISS, and return to Earth. Dragon is currently one of the only spacecraft in the world capable of transmitting status on environment-sensitive cargo back to Earth during transit to the ISS.

Source SpaceX

Blobrana · L

Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) announces the passing of a significant technical milestone in the development of its Dragon spacecraft with the successful arc jet testing of PICA-X high performance heat shield material.
Subjected to temperatures as high as 1850 degrees Celsius (3360 degrees Fahrenheit), the tests simulated the reentry heating conditions that will be experienced by the Dragon capsule. Panels of the high performance carbon-based material will protect cargo and crew during the spacecraft's return from Earth orbit.
SpaceX developed the ability to manufacture PICA-X with the assistance of NASA, the originator of PICA (Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator). The "X" stands for the SpaceX-developed variants of the rigid, lightweight material, which has several improved properties and greater ease of manufacture.

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