Tag: Dragon

NanoRacks’ Commercial ISS Airlock Completes CDR, Moves to Fabrication

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Commercial airlock on International Space Station. (Credit: NanoRacks)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (NanoRacks PR) – The NanoRacks Space Station Airlock Module “Bishop” met another major milestone with completion of the Critical Design Review (CDR) on March 20 and 21, 2018 in Houston, Texas.  This milestone begins the transition from the engineering design phase to the fabrication phase.  Detailed design drawings such as those for the critical pressure shell will be signed and released to NanoRacks fabrication partner, Thales Alenia Space, in order for them to continue their fabrication efforts.

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More Details on SpaceX’s Fairing & Drogue Parachute Recovery Efforts

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The FAA’s draft environmental assessment (EA) of SpaceX’s proposal to recover Dragon capsules in the Gulf of Mexico contains several interesting sections detailing the company’s efforts to recover payload fairings and drogue parachute assemblies for the fairings and spacecraft.

The sections are excerpted below. You can read the full report here.
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SpaceX Proposes Recovering Dragon Spacecraft in Gulf of Mexico

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Dragon capsule after recovery. (Credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX has proposed recovering Dragon spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico as a contingency option to recovering them in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

“With the introduction of the [commercial crew program], the ability to return crew to Earth in a safe and timely manner is extremely important, particularly in cases where human life or health may be in jeopardy,” according to a draft environmental assessment published by the FAA.

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NanoRacks Sends Groundbreaking Satellite, Biological Research to ISS

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (NanoRacks PR) –  NanoRacks, the leading provider for commercial access to low-Earth orbit, has brought yet another unique payload mission to the International Space Station. Carrying a professional protein crystal experiment, college-level biological research, and a debris capturing microsatellite (MicroSat), this mission continues to push the boundaries of commercial opportunities on the International Space Station.

The SpaceX CRS-14 Dragon was successfully installed on the Harmony Module of the International Space Station at 9:00 EDT on Wednesday.
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Orbital Debris Removal Satellite Launches Aboard Dragon Resupply Ship

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RemoveDEBRIS spacecraft during final assembly at SSTL. (Credit SSTL/Max Alexander)

A satellite equipped with a net and a harpoon was launched to the International Space Station on Monday as part of an experiment to capture and dispose of orbital debris.

The RemoveDebris spacecraft was aboard a SpaceX Dragon resupply ship launched from Cape Camaveral.  The European-built satellite will be deployed by astronauts from the space station.

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SpaceX Launches Dragon Resupply Ship to Space Station

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SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off with a Dragon resupply ship on April 2, 2018. (Credit: NASA)

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. (NASA PR) — Astronauts aboard the International Space Station soon will receive a delivery of experiments dealing with how the human body, plants and materials behave in space following the 4:30 p.m. EDT launch Monday of a SpaceX commercial resupply mission.

A SpaceX Dragon lifted off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida with more than 5,800 pounds of research investigations and equipment, cargo and supplies that will support dozens of the more than 250 investigations aboard the space station.

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First Quarter 2018 Launch Report: China & USA Battle for Lead

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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy begins its first flight. (Credit: NASA)

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

The world’s launch providers have been extremely busy in the first quarter of 2018, with 31 orbital launches thus far. This is more than one third of the 90 launches conducted last year.

China leads the pack with 10 successful launches. The United States is close behind with a total of nine launches with one failure. The tenth American launch is scheduled for Monday afternoon from Florida.

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Preview of ISS National Lab Science

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Video Caption: The SpaceX CRS-14 commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station will carry over 20 separate payloads sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory (managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space) to the orbital outpost.

For more details on the research detailed in the video, visit: http://bit.ly/2E2SI6M

For more information on the ISS National Lab and CASIS, visit: www.iss-casis.org

SpaceX Launches 10 Iridium Next Satellites

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Falcon 9 lifts off with Iridium Next 41-50 satellites. (Credit: SpaceX webcast)

SpaceX successfully launched 10 Iridium Next satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Friday morning.

Iridium-NEXT satellites 41-50 were successfully deployed from the booster’s second stage about an hour after the launch at 7:13 a.m. PDT. It was the fifth batch of 10 Iridium-NEXT satellites that SpaceX has orbited using three different first stage boosters.

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Techshot & Tupperware to Send Plant Growth System to Space Station

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Mizuna growing inside plant growth chambers developed for NASA by Tupperware and Techshot. Six of the chambers are visible inside a Veggie mini-greenhouse at the Kennedy Space Center. (Credit: Techshot)

GREENVILLE, Ind., March 27, 2018 (Techshot PR) – An improved system for growing plants in space, developed for NASA by Tupperware Brands and Techshot Inc., is expected to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) April 2 aboard a commercial SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

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Predicting the Lifespan of Materials in Space

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Kim de Groh with the MISSE-9 samples. (Credit: NASA)

CLEVELAND, Ohio (NASA PR) — Almost every product we use has a shelf life. From milk and meat to laundry detergent and batteries, it’s important to know when it’s safe to use a product, and when it’s time to replace it. But what about materials used for spacecraft?

It is vital for scientists to know exactly how long a material will last in outer space; which is why Kim de Groh, a senior materials research engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, is gathering data from the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) missions.

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TechShot Variable Gravity Device Headed for Space Station

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Seen with its door removed, revealing two carousels, the Techshot Multi-use Variable-g Platform (MVP) is a privately owned and operated research system for the International Space Station. (Credit: Techshot)

GREENVILLE, Ind., March 27, 2018 (Techshot PR) – A new privately-owned and operated device designed to conduct research in space at varying gravity levels with a wide variety of sample types – such as tissue chips, plants, fish, cells, protein crystals, worms and flies – will launch to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the next SpaceX cargo resupply mission.

Expected to launch April 2 from space launch complex 40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, SpaceX CRS-14 will carry the Techshot Multi-use Variable-gravity Platform (MVP), which can produce artificial gravity in 0.1 g increments, up to a maximum of 2.0 g.

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NASA TV to Air Launch of SpaceX Dragon Space Station Resupply Mission

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Falcon 9 carries the Dragon cargo ship into orbit. (Credit: NASA TV)

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. (NASA PR) — NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX now is targeting its 14th resupply mission to the International Space Station for no earlier than 4:30 p.m. EDT Monday, April 2. Live coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency’s website Sunday, April 1, with pre-launch events.

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Dragon Mission to Carry CASIS-Sponsored Experiments to Space Station

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Dragon spacecraft in orbit. (Credit: NASA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL., March 21, 2018 (CASIS PR) – The 14th Commercial Resupply Services (awarded by NASA) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by SpaceX is targeted for launch no earlier than 4:30 p.m. EDT on April 2.

A Dragon cargo spacecraft previously flown on SpaceX’s 8th commercial resupply mission to the station for NASA will now include 20 separate payloads sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory (managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space).

These payloads represent a diverse combination of science, technology, and the validation of new facilities that will contribute to greater research capacity in the future. Additionally, multiple investigations will launch to station focused on inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Below are highlights of sponsored ISS National Lab investigations that are part of the SpaceX CRS-14 mission.
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Updated Global Launch Schedule Through April

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Expedition 55 crew members Ricky Arnold, Drew Feustel and cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev. (Credit: NASA)

Below is the updated launch schedule through the end of April. The 17 scheduled launches include:

  • 7 USA (6 Falcon 9, 1 Atlas V)
  • 4 Russia (1 Soyuz, 1 Soyuz-2.1, 1 Proton, 1 Rockot)
  • 3 India (2 GSLV Mk.2, 1 PSLV)
  • 2 China (2 Long March 3B)
  • 1 Europe (1 Ariane 5).

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