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Raumfahrt - Erfolgreicher Start von SpaceX-Falcon 9 mit CRS-13 Mission

24.11.2017

Dragon to Make Resupply Run to International Space Station

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The Canadarm 2 reaches out to grapple a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft and prepare it to be pulled into its port on the International Space Station. Dragon was installed on the Harmony module where remained for the next five weeks.
Photo credit: NASA

Next Commercial Resupply Services Mission: SpaceX CRS-13
Launch Time and Date: 2:53 p.m. EST, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017
Space Lift Off: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9, 230 feet-tall
Spacecraft: Dragon, 20 feet high, 12 feet-in diameter
Payload: Dragon will deliver cargo and material to support science investigations aboard the space station.
Return to Earth: After about one month attached to the space station, Dragon will return with results of earlier experiments, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.

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NASA to Send Critical Science, Instruments to Space Station

 

micro meteor strike scarring on ISS window
Photographic documentation of a Micro Meteor Orbital Debris strike one of the window’s within the space station’s Cupola. The Space Debris Sensor will measure the orbital debris environment for 2-3 years to provide impact detection and recording.
Credits: NASA
Space Debris Sensor mounted on the ISS
Mounted on the exterior of the International Space Station, the Space Debris Sensor (SDS) collects information on small orbital debris.
Credits: NASA
TSIS-1 deployed on ExPRESS logistics carrier (ELC)-3
A close-up view of TSIS-1 as deployed on the space station ExPRESS logistics carrier (ELC)-3. The TSIS-1 Thermal Pointing System (TPS) is deployed above the ELC after installation in order to provide sufficient clearance to track the sun each orbit with a two-axis gimbal.
Credits: NASA/LASP

​SpaceX is scheduled to launch its Dragon spacecraft into orbit for its 13th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station no earlier than Dec. 4 for NASA. Dragon will lift into orbit atop the Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying crew supplies, equipment and scientific research to crew members living and working aboard the station.

This science-heavy flight will deliver investigations and facilities that study and/or measure solar irradiance, materials, orbital debris and more.

Here are some highlights of research that will be delivered to the station:

 

Testing Alternative Fibers

Optical Fiber Production in Microgravity (Made in Space Fiber Optics), a U.S. National Lab investigation sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), demonstrates the benefits of manufacturing fiber optic filaments in a microgravity environment.

This investigation will attempt to pull fiber optic wire from ZBLAN, a heavy metal fluoride glass commonly used to make fiber optic glass. When ZBLAN is solidified on Earth, its atomic structure tends to form into crystals. Research indicates that ZBLAN fiber pulled in microgravity may not crystalize as much, giving it better optical qualities than the silica used in most fiber optic wire. Results from this investigation could lead to the production of higher-quality fiber optic products both in space and on Earth.

 

Tracking Earth’s Sunshine from Space

NASA's Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor, or TSIS-1, will measure the sun's energy input to Earth. Various satellites have captured a continuous record of this solar energy input to Earth since 1978. TSIS-1 sensors advance previous measurements with three times the accuracy, enabling scientists to study the sun’s natural influence on Earth’s ozone layer, atmospheric circulation, clouds, and ecosystems. These observations are essential for a scientific understanding of the effects of solar variability on the Earth system.

 

Monitoring Orbital Debris

The Space Debris Sensor (SDS) will directly measure the orbital debris environment around the space station for two to three years. Mounted on the exterior of the station, this one square meter sensor uses dual-layer thin films, an acoustic sensor system, a resistive grid sensor system and a sensored backstop to provide near-real-time impact detection and recording. Research from this investigation could help lower the risk to human life and critical hardware by orbital debris.

 

Self-assembling and Self-replicating materials

The Advanced Colloids Experiment- Temperature-7 (ACE-T-7) investigation involves the design and assembly of 3-D structures from small particles suspended in a fluid medium, structures that are vital to the design of advanced optical materials and electronic devices. Future space exploration may use self-assembly and self-replication to make materials and devices that can repair themselves on long duration missions.

 

Combatting muscular breakdown

The Rodent Research-6 (RR-6) investigation will examine a drug compound and drug delivery system designed to combat muscular breakdown in space or other times of disuse. The implanted drug delivery chip will administer a compound meant to maintain muscle in a variety of disuse conditions, including microgravity. The results from the RR-6 investigations will not only help researchers to understand how to better maintain a healthy body structure in the absence of gravity, but will also increase our understanding of muscle-related diseases, disorders and injuries.

These investigations will join many other investigations currently happening aboard the space station.

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 25.11.2017

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SpaceX set for Cape Canaveral test fire ahead of ISS launch

SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are expected to test fire a Falcon 9 rocket next week ahead of a planned launch for NASA to the International Space Station.

The short firing of the rocket's nine Merlin main engines, known as a static test fire, will last a few seconds at Launch Complex 40 on Thursday and help teams determine the vehicle's health before launching with thousands of pounds of cargo and science experiments for station crew.

Liftoff with the company's Dragon spacecraft is targeted for 2:53 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 4, and a first stage landing at nearby Landing Zone 1 is expected about 8 minutes later.

The 13th launch under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract, or CRS-13, will reactivate Launch Complex 40 for the first time since it was heavily damaged in a September 2016 explosion, which occurred during a static test fire.

SpaceX's investigation into an issue with its fairings, or nose cones that protect spacecraft during launch, continues and a new launch date for the previously delayed Zuma mission has not yet been announced. It was scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A last week with a classified government payload secured by Northrop Grumman.

The CRS-13 mission can proceed because launches to the ISS do not use fairings.

Tune into FloridaToday.com/Space for updates on the CRS-13 mission, as well as live coverage on launch day beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Quelle: Florida Today

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Update: 30.11.2017

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NASA says a used SpaceX rocket booster will hoist supplies to the space station next week

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NASA will rely on a previously used SpaceX Falcon 9 first-stage booster next week to carry supplies to the International Space Station, marking a first for the agency.

The booster first flew in June on a mission to deliver supplies to the space station. After separating from the second stage, the booster returned to Earth for a landing at SpaceX’s landing pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

NASA officials discussed the decision at a meeting Wednesday of the NASA Advisory Council’s Human Exploration and Operations Committee at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA said in a statement that it participated in a “broad range of SpaceX data assessments and inspections” concerning the use of a previously launched first stage. Booster reuse for future NASA missions will be considered on a “case-by-case basis,” the agency said.

NASA had said over the summer that it wanted to take its time and review results before signing off on a used first-stage rocket for a space station resupply mission. Though this is the first time the agency will utilize a used SpaceX booster, NASA has used a refurbished Dragon cargo capsule to haul supplies to the space station.

SpaceX has launched three used first-stage boosters to date, all for commercial customers.

The cargo resupply mission is set to launch no earlier than Dec. 8 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral.

Quelle: Los Angeles Times

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Update: 1.12.2017

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NASA TV to Broadcast Departure of Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft from International Space Station

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The Orbital ATK Cygnus resupply ship approached the International Space Station on its eighth resupply mission as both spacecraft flew into an orbital sunrise.
Credits: NASA

After delivering almost 7,400 pounds of cargo to support dozens of science experiments from around the world, the Orbital ATK Cygnuscargo spacecraft is set to leave the International Space Station on Wednesday, Dec. 6. NASA Television and the agency’s website will provide live coverage of Cygnus' departure beginning at 7:45 a.m. EST.

 

On Tuesday, Dec. 5, ground controllers will use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach the Cygnus spacecraft from the Earth-facing side of the station's Unity module. The spacecraft, which arrived at the station Nov. 14, will be maneuvered above the Harmony module to gather data that will aid in rendezvous and docking operations for future U.S. commercial crew vehicles arriving for a linkup to Harmony’s international docking adapters. The maneuver will not be televised.

 

On Wednesday, Dec. 6, at approximately 8:10 a.m., Expedition 53 Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba of NASA will give the command to release Cygnus. Cygnus is packed with more than 5,500 pounds of trash and other items marked for disposal.

 

Experiments delivered on Cygnus supported NASA and other research investigations during Expedition 53, including studies in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science -- research that improves life on Earth. Investigations included studies on communication and navigation, microbiology, animal biology and plant biology.

 

Cygnus also will release 14 CubeSats from an external NanoRacks deployer on Dec. 7. The craft will remain in orbit until Monday, Dec. 18, when its engines will fire twice, pushing it into Earth's atmosphere, where it will burn up over the Pacific Ocean. NASA TV will not provide live coverage of these events.

 

The Cygnus launched Nov. 12 on Orbital ATK’s upgraded Antares 230 rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for the company’s eighth NASA-contracted commercial resupply mission.

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 6.12.2017

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NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Space Station Resupply Mission

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A SpaceX Dragon will deliver about 4,800 pounds of research, hardware and crew supplies to the International Space Station during the company’s 13th commercial resupply services mission for NASA. Dragon will lift off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida no earlier than 1:20 p.m. EST, Dec. 8.
Credits: NASA

NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting its 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for no earlier than 1:20 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 8.

 

Mission coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency’s website Thursday, Dec. 7, with two news briefings.

 

Packed with almost 4,800 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

 

NASA TV mission coverage is as follows:

 

Thursday, Dec. 7

 

Friday, Dec. 8

  • 12:45 p.m. – Launch commentary coverage begins
  • 3 p.m. – Post-launch news conference with representatives from NASA’s International Space Station Program and SpaceX

 

Sunday, Dec. 10

  • 4:30 a.m. – Dragon rendezvous at the space station and capture
  • 7:30 a.m. – Installation coverage

 

About 10 minutes after launch on Dec. 8, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit and deploy its solar arrays. A carefully choreographed series of thruster firings are scheduled to bring the spacecraft to rendezvous with the space station. NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba will capture Dragon using the space station’s robotic arm. Ground controllers will then send commands to robotically install the spacecraft on the station’s Harmony module.

 

The Dragon spacecraft will spend approximately one month attached to the space station, returning to Earth Jan. 6, with results of previous experiments.

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 7.12.2017

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Test-firing at repaired launch pad clears way for SpaceX cargo flight next week

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The Falcon 9 rocket’s previously-flown first stage fired its engines at pad 40 Wednesday. Credit: Steven Young/Spaceflight Now

SpaceX ignited a reused Falcon 9 first stage booster at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Wednesday ahead of a planned space station resupply launch Dec. 12, a major step in restoring the repaired facility to service after a catastrophic explosion interrupted operations there last year.

Nine Merlin 1D engines on the Falcon 9’s first stage ignited at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT) Wednesday, sending a plume of exhaust out of the flame trench at pad 40. It was the first time a rocket has fired at pad 40, a former Titan rocket launch facility now operated by SpaceX, since a rocket exploded during fueling before a pre-flight static fire test Sept. 1, 2016.

SpaceX confirmed the completion of the customary pre-launch static fire test on Twitter.

The Falcon 9 will be returned to SpaceX’s hangar at pad 40 for attachment of a Dragon cargo capsule loaded with several tons of supplies and experiments heading to the International Space Station.

The fully-assembled launcher will return to pad 40 next week for liftoff, which is currently targeted for Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 11:46 a.m. EST (1646 GMT).

The launch slipped four days from its previous target to complete preparations on pad 40, among other concerns.

“This new launch date takes into account pad readiness, requirements for science payloads, space station crew availability, and orbital mechanics,” NASA said in a statement.

SpaceX will have a backup day Dec. 13 to launch if the countdown Dec. 12 is scrubbed.

Mission managers will have to work in SpaceX’s cargo launch around other space station traffic.

Space station commander Randy Bresnik and crewmates Sergey Ryazanskiy and Paolo Nespoli are scheduled to depart the station in their Soyuz MS-05 early Dec. 14. The trio will land in Kazakhstan several hours later to wrap up a 139-day flight, leaving behind new station commander Alexander Misurkin and astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba.

Three new crew members are set for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Dec. 17, and will reach the orbiting research complex two days later.

NASA and its space station partners prohibit cargo and crew ships arriving and departing from the station on the same day, leaving limited launch opportunities for SpaceX’s resupply mission in mid-December.

Assuming the Dragon cargo capsule launches Dec. 12, it will reach the space station Dec. 15 for a month-long stay.

The upcoming cargo launch is the 13th resupply mission mounted by SpaceX under contract to NASA, and the first in which the space agency has agreed to fly its equipment on a previously-used Falcon 9 first stage. The booster assigned to next week’s mission first flew June 3 on another space station resupply launch.

The Dragon capsule’s pressurized module is also reused. SpaceX refurbished the spacecraft after a round-trip flight to the station in April and May of 2015.

Pad 40’s return to service frees up nearby pad 39A, where SpaceX has based all its East Coast launches so far this year, for final upgrades and modifications to accommodate the maiden flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket, a huge triple-body launcher made of up three Falcon 9 first stages mated together.

The Falcon Heavy’s first test launch could occur next month, a few weeks after its own static fire test at pad 39A.

SpaceX also confirmed Wednesday the launch of a mysterious U.S. government payload named Zuma is slated to occur from pad 40 in early January, next in line after the Dec. 12 cargo launch. Zuma’s launch was postponed from mid-November to study a technical concern with the Falcon 9’s payload fairing, a structure that shields satellites during liftoff.

The Zuma mission was originally supposed to launch from pad 39A, but pad 40’s reactivation allows SpaceX to move it there, clearing the former Apollo- and shuttle-era launch pad for the Falcon Heavy.

The Dragon cargo capsule does not use a fairing like other Falcon 9 payloads, allowing the resupply flight to go forward.

The last SpaceX launch of the year is scheduled for Dec. 22 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with 10 Iridium voice and data relay satellites.

Quelle: SN

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Update: 10.12.2017

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CU Boulder solar instruments, experiments headed for space

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A solar instrument package known as TSIS designed and built by CU Boulder to help monitor the planet’s climate is set for launch aboard a SpaceX rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image courtesy of NASA.

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A solar instrument package designed and built by CU Boulder to help monitor the planet’s climate is now set for launch Dec. 12 aboard a a rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

The instrument suite is called the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS-1) and was designed and built by CU Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The contract value to LASP is $90 million and includes the instrument suite and an associated mission ground system on the CU Boulder campus.

TSIS-1 will launch on a commercial SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo container for delivery to the International Space Station (ISS). It will monitor the total amount of sunlight hitting Earth, as well as how the light is distributed among the ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelengths.

CU Boulder Professor Peter Pilewskie of LASP, lead mission scientist on the project, said TSIS will continue a 40-year record of measuring total solar radiation by CU Boulder, the longest continuous climate record from space.

“The sun drives all of Earth’s processes, from atmospheric and oceanic circulation to chemical and biological activity,” said Pilewskie, also a professor in the Department of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. “Trying to understand Earth’s climate without measuring the sun is like trying to balance your checkbook without knowing your income. How the atmosphere responds to subtle changes in the sun’s output helps us distinguish between natural and human influences on climate.”  

Overall, satellite measurements of the sun from space have shown that changes in its radiation over time—during periods of both high and low solar activity—is only about 0.1 percent. While scientists believe changes in solar output cannot explain Earth’s recent warming, a longer dataset could reveal greater swings in solar radiation. 

TSIS consists of two instruments: the Total Irradiance Monitor that measures the total light coming from the sun at all wavelengths and the Spectral Irradiance Monitor to measure how sunlight is distributed by wavelength. The latter is important because light at different wavelengths is absorbed by different parts of the planet’s atmosphere and surface, helping to determine how the Earth system responds to solar variability.

At its peak, the project involved about 30 scientists and engineers at LASP, as well as another 300 people from Colorado and around the country, said TSIS-1 Project Manager Brian Boyle of LASP. All told, more than 1,000 people worked on TSIS in the past two decades. The mission, slated to run at least five years, also has involved about 15 to 20 CU Boulder students to date.

In addition, hardware designed and built by CU Boulder’s BioServe Space Technologies, headquartered in CU Boulder’s Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department, will be launched on the same SpaceX Dragon to facilitate two biomedical experiments on ISS. 

One, designed by LaunchPad Medical LLC in Lowell, Massachusetts, will carry high-tech BioServe culture plates to grow bone cells with a commercially used bone adhesive and a second, newly developed bone adhesive, said BioServe Associate Director Stefanie Countryman. Scientists know that astronauts living and working in the low gravity of space undergo the loss of bone mass over time.

The bone cell experiments will be imaged on board ISS and then returned to Earth for analysis and comparison to ground control experiments. 

BioServe hardware also will be used to test a drug delivery system on ISS for combating muscular breakdown, an experiment that has implications for both astronauts in space and for people with muscle disorders on Earth. Designed by the Houston Methodist Research Institute, the experiment will include two groups of mice: one implanted with a placebo, and the other a drug-delivery chip meant to help maintain muscle mass. 

BioServe has flown experiments or hardware on each of the 14 SpaceX cargo resupply missions to ISS since they began in 2012, said BioServe Director Louis Stodieck. 

Quelle: University of Colorado Boulder

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Update: 11.12.2017

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Air Force: Weather good for SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral and landing

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The "flight proven" rocket, previously launched in June 2017, is expected to descend to Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone 1 about 8 minutes after liftoff. The Dragon spacecraft packed with supplies is being reused, too – it flew on a 2015 resupply mission.

The launch – SpaceX's 13th under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract – will take thousand of pounds of supplies, cargo and science experiments to the crew of the ISS before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean at a later date.

Launch Tuesday

  • Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
  • Mission: ISS resupply for NASA
  • Launch Time: 11:46 a.m.
  • Launch Window: Instantaneous
  • Launch Complex: 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
  • Weather: 80 percent "go"

Join FloridaToday.com/Space at 10 a.m. Tuesday for countdown chat and updates, including streaming of NASA's launch webcast.

Quelle: Florida Today

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Update: 12.12.2017

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NASA sees “equivalent risk” of flying reused SpaceX booster

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NEW ORLEANS — On the eve of the first launch of a reused Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 with a reused first stage, both NASA and SpaceX said they were comfortable with the level of risk involved with the mission.

The Falcon 9 was scheduled to lift off at 11:46 a.m. Eastern Dec. 12 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the first launch from that pad since it was repaired following a September 2016 pad explosion. 

SpaceX announced late Dec. 11 that was delaying the launch a day “to allow for additional time for pre-launch ground systems checks.” The launch is now scheduled for approximately 11:24 a.m. Eastern. Forecasts projected an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather for the launch, with winds the primary concern.

The Dragon is carrying 2,205 kilograms of cargo to the station, ranging from crew supplies and hardware to a wide range of science experiments to be carried out inside the station as well as mounted on the station’s exterior.

While the mission will be the 13th in SpaceX’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA, this flight does mark a first: SpaceX will use a previously-flown first stage on this mission, which first launched another Dragon spacecraft to the space station six months earlier.

“We’re very comfortable that the risk posture on this vehicle is not significantly greater than a new booster,” Kirk Shireman, NASA ISS program manager, said at a pre-launch press conference Dec. 11.

Some risks, he said, are actually less with a reflown booster, while some are a little greater. He didn’t elaborate on specific issues that had higher or lower risks. “The net result is about equivalent risk,” he said.

Discussions about using a reflown booster on a CRS mission started nearly a year ago, said Jessica Jensen, director of Dragon mission management at SpaceX. “We’ve been working with NASA since January of this year on the process for ensuring that a flight-proven booster is of equivalent risk to a new booster,” she said, with technical meetings between NASA and SpaceX on various aspects of booster reuse.

Shireman, as other NASA officials have previously indicated, said that the agency has only approved this single use of a previously-flown booster, and one that carried out a similarly “benign” mission that did not subject the stage to as much stress as launches of satellites to geostationary orbit. NASA finally approved the use of a reflown booster only about two weeks ago, after SpaceX completed its readiness reviews.

While NASA is still getting comfortable with reused boosters, it is more accepting of reflown Dragon spacecraft. This flight will use a Dragon capsule that first flew on SpaceX’s sixth CRS mission in April 2015. It marks the second CRS mission to use a reflown capsule.

“For the remainder of the current CRS contract, we are planning to continue to just use refurbished Dragons,” Jensen said. “We have enough in our fleet.” She later said there are about seven Dragon spacecraft available for reuse.

After this launch, SpaceX has one more mission planned for this year, launching 10 Iridium Next satellites Dec. 22 on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a mission that will also use a previously-flown booster. Jensen said that will be followed in early January by the classified “Zuma” mission, which was to launch from Florida in November but was postponed to study a potential payload fairing issue during tests for another mission.

SpaceX is also preparing for the first launch of the Falcon Heavy. A static-fire test of the rocket from Launch Complex 39A is still scheduled before the end of the year, she said. “The launch will then happen about a few weeks after that,” she said.

That launch complex, which had been hosting all SpaceX launches this year while Space Launch Complex 40 is being repaired, will now host Falcon Heavy and commercial crew missions. SpaceX is scheduled to perform two commercial crew test flights, one without a crew and one with NASA astronauts on board, in April and August, respectively.

Shireman, though, cautioned those test flights, as well as two scheduled by Boeing for 2018, may encounter additional delays. “They’ll fly when they’re ready, and while we want them to be ready as soon as possible, we also don’t want them to fly until they are ready,” he said.

He added there are no discussions with Russia about buying additional Soyuz seats. A deal with Boeing signed earlier this year provided NASA with two additional near-term Soyuz seats, and an option for three more in first half of 2019. NASA exercised that option in October. “We have seats to fly U.S. astronauts on Soyuz vehicles through the first half of 2019,” he said.

Shireman said there is a “whole spectrum of options” to get additional schedule margin of commercial crew vehicles are not ready by then. “But our confidence in the launch dates for SpaceX and for Boeing in their commercial crew vehicles is increasing as well,” he said.

Quelle: SN

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Update: 13.12.2017

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SpaceX Rocket Launch for NASA Delayed to Friday for Extra Inspections

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A file photo of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop its Falcon 9 rocket ahead of a launch to the International Space Station from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. SpaceX will launch its next Dragon mission for NASA on Dec. 15, 2017. 
Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX has again pushed back the launch of a used Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule filled with NASA cargo — this time to no earlier than Friday (Dec. 13) — for extra inspections and cleaning after engineers detected particles in the booster's second-stage fuel system..

A SpaceX Falcon 9 booster and Dragon spacecraft — both making their second flight — were scheduled to launch a delivery mission for NASA from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Wednesday (Dec. 13). But the need for more ground-system checks forced SpaceX to push the launch to Friday at 10:35 a.m. EST (1535 GMT).

Quelle: SC

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Update: 14.12.2017

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NASA Television Updates Broadcast Schedule for Cargo Resupply Mission

NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX now is targeting no earlier than 10:36 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 15, for its 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. The launch and post-launch news conference will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

 

Packed with almost 4,800 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

 

Launch coverage will begin at 10 a.m., followed at noon by a post-launch news conference with representatives from NASA’s International Space Station Program and SpaceX.

 

About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit and deploy its solar arrays. A carefully choreographed series of thruster firings will bring the spacecraft to rendezvous with the space station Sunday, Dec. 17. NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba will capture Dragon using the space station’s robotic arm. Ground controllers then will send commands to robotically install the spacecraft on the station’s Harmony module.

 

The Dragon spacecraft will spend approximately one month attached to the space station, returning to Earth in mid-January with results of previous experiments.

 

The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed, but more information about media accreditation is available by contacting Jennifer Horner at 321-867-6598 or jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov.

 

Also on Sunday, Scott Tingle of NASA, Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station at 2:21 a.m. (1:21 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

 

NASA TV coverage for Dragon arrival and crew launch Sunday is as follows:

  • 1:15 a.m. – Launch coverage begins
  • 4:30 a.m. – Dragon rendezvous at the space station and capture coverage
  • 7:30 a.m. – Installation coverage

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 15.12.2017

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Launch Weather 90 Percent ‘Go’ on Friday

Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing are predicting a 90 percent chance of favorable weather for liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft. Launch of the company’s 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA is targeted for no earlier than Friday, Dec. 15 at 10:36 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. On launch day, the primary weather concern is for thick clouds.

SpaceX CRS-13 Update: Launch No Earlier Than Dec. 15

NASA and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than 10:36 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 15, for the company’s 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. SpaceX is taking additional time for the team to conduct full inspections and cleanings due to detection of particles in the second stage fuel system. The next launch opportunity would be no earlier than late December.

Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing are predicting an 80 percent chance of favorable weather for liftoff on Friday.

A Dragon spacecraft will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Dragon is now scheduled to arrive at the space station on Sunday, Dec. 17.

On Sunday, Scott Tingle of NASA, Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are also scheduled to launch at 2:21 a.m. (1:21 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station.

NASA Television coverage for launch and arrival activities are as follows:

Friday, Dec. 15

  • 10 a.m. – Launch commentary coverage begins
  • 12 p.m. – Post-launch news conference with representatives from NASA’s International Space Station Program and SpaceX

Sunday, Dec. 17

  • 1:15 a.m. – Soyuz MS-07 launch coverage begins
  • 4:30 a.m. – Dragon rendezvous at the space station and capture coverage begins
  • 7:30 a.m. – Installation coverage begins

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 16.45 MEZ

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Erfolgreicher Start von SpaceX-Falcon 9 mit CRS-13 Mission

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crs13-gbzf

crs13-gbzg

crs13-gbzh

crs13-gbzi

crs13-gbzj

crs13-gbzk

crs13-gbzl

Quelle: NASA-TV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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