[ad_1]
Days after NASA confirmed SpaceX is on track to launch Crew Dragon on November 14 and the first launch of Cargo Dragon 2 on December 2, a company executive says the back-to-back launch is a a sign of what will 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. space with the International Space Station (ISS). Four months later, Cargo Dragon successfully docked the ISS for the second time as part of the first NASA Commercial Refueling Services (CRS-1) mission, beginning what would become a streak of 19 space station refueling operations. operational. delivering just under 45 tons (~ 100,000 lb) in total.
SpaceX fulfilled its entire CRS1 contract from NASA 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, whose flawless completion made SpaceX the first private company in history to be certified to fly astronauts for a national space agency. Now, perhaps just over two weeks away, SpaceX is well on its way to attempting its first operational astronaut launch. Y the first launch of an enhanced Cargo Dragon spacecraft under a new CRS2 cargo contract from NASA.
In a November 10 press conference focusing primarily on Crew Dragon’s upcoming operational launch, SpaceX executive Benji Reed, taking 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. We are truly bringing back America’s capacity for full launch services and are very, very honored to be a part of it. “
Benji Reed, SpaceX – November 10, 2020
In short, SpaceX has Seven Dragon launches are 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 dig deeper into reuse, reusing both Crew and Cargo Dragons. Y Falcon 9 boosters in charge of launching them. The first of these reuses is scheduled for March 2021, in which four astronauts will launch on a flight-tested thruster, inside a flight-tested orbital spacecraft, towards the International Space Station.
Meanwhile, thanks to NASA’s 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 a year, SpaceX could find itself maintaining a presence. continues in space starting November 14. As Reed points out, this also means that any two dragons will operate in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at the same time whenever SpaceX launches a Cargo Dragon refueling mission.
Roscosmos, the Russian national space agency, is the only other entity on Earth that can boast a similar capability: it is now used to simultaneously propel multiple Soyuz crews and Progress cargo spacecraft into orbit after nearly a decade serving as a single bridge. between the Earth and the ISS. . If SpaceX’s Crew-1 Crew Dragon and CRS-21 Cargo Dragon launches are successful, the American private company will effectively become the backbone of American spaceflight, almost single-handedly reaffirming the country’s position as a competitive space power.
Source link
