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Days after NASA confirmed SpaceX is on track for a Crew Dragon launch on November 14 and the first launch of Cargo Dragon 2 on December 2, a company executive says that consecutive launch is a sign of things a to come.
The first semi-functional Dragon spacecraft flew more than ten years ago in December 2010, followed about 18 months later by the vehicle’s second orbital mission, during which SpaceX became the first private company in history to launch and dock a spacecraft with the Station. International Space (ISS). Four months later, Cargo Dragon successfully docked with the ISS for the second time as part of the first NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) mission, starting what would become a hugely successful series of 19 operational space station supply runs. , delivering just under 45 metric tons (~ 100,000 lb) in total.
SpaceX fulfilled the entirety of its NASA CRS1 contract in April 2020, effectively retiring the first generation Dragon spacecraft. Less than two months later, Crew Dragon – an upgraded “ Dragon 2 ” spacecraft – took off for its second orbital mission and astronaut launch debut, the flawless completion of which made SpaceX the first private company in certified history. to fly astronauts from a citizen space agency. Now, perhaps just over two weeks away, SpaceX is on track to attempt its first operational astronaut launch is the first launch of an upgraded Cargo Dragon spacecraft under a new NASA CRS2 cargo contract.
Speaking on a November 10 press conference call focused primarily on Crew Dragon’s upcoming operational debut, SpaceX executive Benji Reed, who has taken a well-deserved stance of trust, revealed some impressive details about what to expect from Dragon in the future. .
“Over the next 15 months, we will carry out seven Crew and Cargo Dragon missions for NASA. This means that starting with Crew-1, there will be a continued presence of SpaceX Dragons in orbit. Starting with the CRS-21 cargo mission, every time we launch a dragon, there will be two dragons in space, simultaneously, for long periods of time. In truth, we are giving back the US capability of full launch services and we are very, very honored to be a part of it. “
Benji Reed, SpaceX – November 10, 2020
In short, SpaceX has Seven Dragon launch is scheduled between November 2020 and January 2022, requiring an average cadence of a Dragon mission every two months or so. To accomplish this feat, SpaceX will begin to delve into reusability, reusing both Crew and Cargo Dragons. is the Falcon 9 boosters in charge of launching them. The first of these re-uses is expected as soon as March 2021, in which four astronauts will launch on a tested booster, inside a tested orbital spacecraft, towards the International Space Station.
Meanwhile, thanks to NASA plans to extend the amount of time the unmanned Cargo Dragon 2 spacecraft spends in orbit on the ISS and an average of two Crew Dragon missions of six months per year, SpaceX could find itself maintaining a presence. continues in space starting as soon as November 14th. As Reed notes, this also means that any two dragons will simultaneously operate in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) whenever SpaceX launches a Cargo Dragon refueling mission.
Roscosmos, Russia’s national space agency, is the only other entity on Earth that can boast a similar capability – now used to simultaneously operate multiple Soyuz crews and Progress cargo spacecraft in orbit after nearly a decade of serving as the only bridge between the Earth and the ISS. If the launches of SpaceX Crew-1 Crew Dragon and CRS-21 Cargo Dragon are successful, the US private company will effectively become the backbone of US spaceflight, almost single-handedly reaffirming the country’s position as a competitive space power.
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