NASA Commercial Crew (CCtCap) test milestones

[DocM]

NASA Commercial Crew announcement page

 

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/dm2/

[DocM]

Jeeezzzz...this came FAST

 

NASA will allow SpaceX to use Flight Proven Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon vehicles!!

 

 

 

[DocM]

Crew 2,  ASSEMBLE...

 

 

 

[FloatingFatMan]

Why so long a wait?  You'd think they'd want more frequent flights now they've proved the ship...

[DocM]

3 hours ago, FloatingFatMan said:

Why so long a wait?  You'd think they'd want more frequent flights now they've proved the ship...

 

SpaceX Crew-(n) will be the SpaceX operational missions.
Starliner-(n) will be the Boeing operational missions.

 

SpaceX Crew-1 launches a few weeks after Crew Dragon DM-2 returns, which is next week. Most likely SpaceX Crew-1 launches mid-September, and it'll be at ISS for ~210 days so a return about mid-April.

 

With SpaceX Crew-2 launching in "early 2021" it's VERY possible there will be two Crew Dragons docked at ISS at the same time.

 

That'll be one helluva photo-op for SpaceX.

 

SpaceX Crew-2 has been filled out

 

Commander: Shane Kimbrough (NASA)
Pilot: Megan McArthur (NASA)
Mission Specialist: Akihiko Hoshide (JAXA)*
Mission Specialist: Thomas Pesquet (ESA)

Edited July 28, 2020 by DocM

[DocM]

SpaceX DM-2 and Crew-1 posters

 

Doug Hurley (NASA) & Bob Behnken (NASA)

 

SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts Shannon Walker (NASA; Commander), Victor Glover (NASA; Pilot), Michael Hopkins and Soichi Noguchi (ESA & JAXA; Mission Specialists)

 

[FloatingFatMan]

Why does that just remind me of the movie, Team America?

 

TBH, I find it slightly silly that America is making such a big thing of regaining a capability it CHOSE to give up in the first place... It's like celebrating you're an idiot for screwing up!

[DocM]

7 hours ago, FloatingFatMan said:

Why does that just remind me of the movie, Team America?

 

TBH, I find it slightly silly that America is making such a big thing of regaining a capability it CHOSE to give up in the first place...

There wasn't much of a "choice" given the baked-in safety issues with Space Shuttle, 14 dead and all. There comes a time when the risks are too high. 

 

These defects were caused by bad design choices dating back to the 1960's and 1970's when the post-Apollo plans were being formulated.  There were better options, some quite amazing.

Quote

It's like celebrating you're an idiot for screwing up!

 

The cheerfulness is about achieving a hard-fought for goal.

 

There'll be more celebrating as more crew vehicles become operational giving the US redundancy and more capabilities; Starliner, Starship & Lunar Starship, Orion, Dream Chaser, whatever Blue Origin has in the hangar, etc.  Each brings something to the table.

 

Then there's whatever vehicle(s) the US Space Force & allies require for military satellite servicing, using & supplying their cislunar outposts, search & rescue, etc.

Edited August 14, 2020 by DocM

[DocM]

SpaceX Crew 1 gets a date

 

NET October 23, 2020

 

CRS-21 is NET October 30, 2020

 

Two Dragon 2's, Crew & Cargo,  at ISS at the same time 😎

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by DocM

[FloatingFatMan]

12 hours ago, DocM said:

There wasn't much of a "choice" given the baked-in safety issues with Space Shuttle, 14 dead and all. There comes a time when the risks are too high. 

 

These defects were caused by bad design choices dating back to the 1960's and 1970's when the post-Apollo plans were being formulated.  There were better options, some quite amazing.

Those issues where known about in plenty of time to get working on alternatives.  They did zilch.

[DocM]

12 hours ago, FloatingFatMan said:

Those issues where known about in plenty of time to get working on alternatives.  They did zilch.

 

NASA did plenty, the Dream Chaser spaceplane started development as two vehicles; HL-20 (crew & light cargo) and HL-42 (crew and medium cargo) after Challenger.  Special interests in Congress, basically the Shuttle contractors, got it killed.

 

This in turn killed 7 more people, which tipped the scale to end the Shuttle program in 2011 and start Commercial Crew.

[DocM]

SpaceX Crew-1 (Crew Dragon): October 23

 

 

[DocM]

Thomas Pesquet (ESA) is riding Crew Dragon's Crew-2 mission in March/April, 2021

 

 

 

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45 years of cockpit evolution!! 🤩 I had the chance to be at the controls of the very analog (and hyper reliable) #Soyuz, the @ Airbus Airbus A310 from Novespace, the A350, then finally the @SpaceX Crew Dragon and its cockpit (almost) fully digital. #AvGeek 

 

[DocM]

First US Space Force astronaut: Michael Hopkins

 

 

Translation: The first astronaut in the US Space Force should be Michael Hopkins according to this list of appointments (with the rank of Colonel).

[Skiver Veteran]

Nice little video Space X have done done on the Demo 2 mission.

 

 

[DocM]

Interesting item to look forward to - after Crew-1 and CRS-21 the ISS will be a Drangon's Lair for all of 2021.

 

Meanwhile, Boeing's Starliner is still in NASA's woodshed.

 

 

 

[DocM]

Boeing's Starliner trouble list has grown...

 

(Reuters)

 

 

[DocM]

Crew Dragon Crew-1 is delayed to mid-November to finish a review of the GPS-3 T-0 abort. 

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CRS-21: Cargo Dragon 2 maiden flight, December 2, 2020

 

SpaceX's Benji Reed at the November 10, 2020 Crew-1 presser,

 

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Over the next 15 months, we will fly seven Crew and Cargo Dragon missions for NASA. That means that starting with Crew-1, there will be a continuous presence of SpaceX Dragons on orbit. Starting with the cargo mission CRS-21, every time we launch a Dragon, there will be two Dragons in space – simultaneously – for extended periods of time. Truly, we are returning the United States’ capability for full launch services and we are very, very honored to be a part of that.

 

Meanwhile, Boeing's Starliner is still in the woodshed. Their CFT rerun (CFT-2) mission listed for January 4, 2021 is now listed as Q1, and that may slip to later in the year. 

 

Key to getting Boeing's software mess in order (Starliner CFT, SLS, 737 MAX, and other projects) is the hiring of former SpaceXer & Tesla software engineer Jinnah Hosein on board as Vice President of Software Engineering.

 

https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2020/11/06/boeing-hires-former-spacex-engineer-for-new-software-executive-job/

 

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>

Hosein’s resume reads like a defense industry wish list of Silicon Valley stops. He worked as Google’s director of software engineering for cloud networking, helped design Tesla’s autopilot software and most recently worked as software lead for self-driving startup Aurora.

But it’s his experiences at SpaceX - where he was key to software development for the Falcon, Falcon Heavy, Dragon and Crew Dragon vehicles - that Boeing may look to draw from the most. 
>

[DocM]

We are a few months away from a 3-day slip sending Starliner OFT-2 into April, 2021. If an April OFT-2 succeeds, and they miraculously have have only 4 months between it and both CFT (crewed test flight) and Starliner-1 (first operational mission), then the latter could easily slip into 2022.

 

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-and-boeing-target-new-launch-date-for-next-starliner-flight-test

 

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NASA and Boeing now are targeting March 29 for the launch of Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is a critical developmental milestone on the company's path toward flying crew missions for NASA.

 

For the OFT-2 mission, the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, dock to the International Space Station and return to land in the western United States about a week later as part of an end-to-end test to prove the system is ready to fly crew.

>

 

 

Edited December 10, 2020 by DocM

[DocM]

Crew Dragon Crew-3, assemble!

 

 

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

Extend Crew-1?

 

Crew Dragon sez: "bring it!" 🚀🇺🇸🚀

 

 

 

[DocM]

SpaceX Crew-3 and Crew-4

 

Crew-3

Date: September, 2021

Vehicle: C207 Resilience

Commander: Raja Chari - NASA

Pilot: Thomas Marshburn - NASA

Mission Specialist 1: Matthias Maurer - ESA

Mission Specialist 2: TBA

 

Crew-4

Vehicle: TBA

Date: ????, 2022

Commander: Kjell Lindgren - NASA

Pilot: Bob Hines - NASA

Mission Specialist 1: TBA

Mission Specialist 2: TBA

[DocM]

Crew-2

 

So, (DM-2 Endeavour pilot) Bob Behnken's wife will pilot Crew-2 Endeavour