SpaceX launches a cargo Dragon to ISS
SpaceX last night successfully launched an unmanned Dragon cargo capsule to ISS, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The first stage completed its third flight, landing back at Cape Canaveral. The Dragon, carrying 5,000 pounds of cargo, will dock at ISS on August 25, 2025 in the early morning. During its mission at ISS it will also do a test engine burn to see if it can raise ISS’s orbit, the kind of orbital adjustments that have been routinely done by the Russian Progress freighters.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
104 SpaceX
47 China
12 Rocket Lab
11 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 104 to 83.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
SpaceX last night successfully launched an unmanned Dragon cargo capsule to ISS, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The first stage completed its third flight, landing back at Cape Canaveral. The Dragon, carrying 5,000 pounds of cargo, will dock at ISS on August 25, 2025 in the early morning. During its mission at ISS it will also do a test engine burn to see if it can raise ISS’s orbit, the kind of orbital adjustments that have been routinely done by the Russian Progress freighters.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
104 SpaceX
47 China
12 Rocket Lab
11 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 104 to 83.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Yesterday’s post about a Rocket Lab launch showed their total for the year-to-date as 12. On this post it has reverted to 11.
“”During its mission at ISS it will also do a test engine burn to see if it can raise ISS’s orbit, the kind of orbital adjustments that have been routinely done by the Russian Progress freighters.””
Two thoughts come to mind. SpaceX has a contract to eventually de-orbiter the Space Station, so this test could be used for both raising the orbit, and gathering data for the eventual de-orbit.
Also, is the above test due to the Russian port being cracked and dangerous? I recall that whenever the Russian port is about to be used, the astronauts seal off the other sections in case of catastrophic failure. Using the other docking port(s) seems like a no brainer at this point.
”Also, is the above test due to the Russian port being cracked and dangerous?”
NASA will never admit to that, so you’re going to have to draw your own conclusions.
I think the Dragon has better control. both in throttled thrust and in thrust direction.
It might be able to put less stress on the module.
”It might be able to put less stress on the module.”
The reason the Dragon would put less stress on the Russian service module is that it’s clear on the other end of the space station.
Is the Russian module better for boosting based on it’s position, or does that matter? I do remember that the shuttle used to do boost operations as well. I’m just curious.
”Is the Russian module better for boosting based on it’s position…”
Yes. The ISS always travels with Node 2 in the forward direction and the Russian service module in the aft direction. Thus the service module’s engines point aft and boost ISS’s speed when fired, raising its orbit.
Dragon is docked to the forward port of Node 2 with its trunk-mounted Draco engines pointed forward. Ordinarily, firing those engines would slow ISS down, lowering its orbit. So ISS will have to rotate halfway around to point Node 2 aft before Dragon fires its engines and then rotate back afterward. Fortunately both rotations can be done using the CMGs without using any additional propellant.
Did we always work with the Russian ship in the wrong possession?
Dick Eagleson: Thank you. I fixed this the day you sent it, but was too busy to send the thank you.