Falcon 9: Dragon CRS-10 ISS resupply

[DocM]

Corrected: Dragon was mated with its Trunk this weekend. The booster is being prepped at McGregor.

 

Twitter....

 

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@USLaunchReport
SpaceX confirms mating CRS-10 Dragon to Falcon 9 booster Trunk, Cape Canaveral for late January launch

 

Trunk payloads

 

SAGE III: Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment hosted at ExPRESS Logistic Carrier-1 (ELC-1)

 

SAGE-NVP: hosted at ELC-4

 

STP-H5: STP-Houston 5 (ISS SpaceCube Experiment Mini)

[DocM]

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA Opens Media Accreditation for Next SpaceX Space Station Cargo Launch

 

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Media accreditation now is open for launch of the next SpaceX commercial cargo resupply services mission to the International Space Station, currently targeted for no earlier than February.

 

The uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The exact launch date and time still are under review.

 

Media prelaunch and launch activities will take place at Kennedy. Credentialing deadlines are as follows:

 

International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 4:30 p.m. EST Sunday, Jan. 22.
U.S. media must apply by 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29.

All media accreditation requests should be submitted online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

 

International media are required to upload a scanned copy of their media visa and passport or green card with their accreditation requests. Media must present two forms of unexpired, government identification to enter Kennedy. One form must include a photo, such as a passport or driver’s license.

 

Questions about accreditation may be addressed to Jennifer Horner at [email protected] or 321-867-6598. For other questions, or additional information, contact Kennedy’s newsroom at 321-867-2468.

 

This is the tenth mission by SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. In addition to supplies and equipment, Dragon will deliver several science investigations to the space station, including:

 

an experiment that will use the microgravity environment to grow stem cells that are of sufficient quality and quantity to use in the treatment of patients with stroke;

a Merck Research Labs investigation that tests growth in microgravity of antibodies important for fighting a wide range of human diseases, including cancer; and

two Earth science payloads, NASA’s Stratospheric Aerosol Gas Experiment III mission and Lightning Imaging Sensor, which will provide continuity for key climate observations and data records.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-opens-media-accreditation-for-next-spacex-space-station-cargo-launch

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

This was from a science briefing today, but I would not be surprised to see a corresponding delay due to EchoStar23 and pad readiness checks.

 

Pad needs to be the priority now, the rest will fall in place soon enough!

 

[Blue-Vision]

Yep. Once the pad is ready, they'll catch up with their schedule easily enough. Expect NET's to move left once it's back up. After 39-A is done, they can concentrate on getting LC-40 going again, then it's back to 39-A for the rest of the work to get ready for the Crewed Program.  Lots to be done still.

 

[EDIT] OH, and they have two more landing pads to build at LZ-1, with supporting hardware. They're gonna be busy all year long.

[DocM]

If Echostar 23 goes smoothly on Feb 3 the Feb 15 date for CRS-10 may not move much, if at all. It would be an aggressive move, but the new pad was designed to allow that.

[DocM]

Woha....NASA may  be pulling rank and claiming the Sept. 3 launch slot for Dragon. 

 

Conflicting statements, so....

[Beittil]

Feb 3rd you mean I assume?

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

 

 

 

Good call, first launch could be CRS, a NASA launch and televised, and gives a few weeks for pad bugs...mid Feb.

[Blue-Vision]

Hmm ... might be some "gremlins" afoot.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

33 minutes ago, Unobscured Vision said:

Hmm ... might be some "gremlins" afoot.

There should be a few, but I am not worried and would prefer proper test prior to a nationally televised event. SpaceX could use only good press right now.

 

Two weeks is nothing, then once launched, all the rest in rapid fire.

 

I am optimistic...

[DocM]

Less gremlins, more NASA pulling rank now that HTV-6 unberthed from Harmony nadir on Friday and the port is open.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Along with a delay in Progress launch.

 

My pad..My toys...Me launch now!

 

I personally think this will make for a better show on 39A...All for it.     

[Blue-Vision]

Yeah, true.  

[DocM]

OK, NASA did pull rank and the date for CRS-10 is after February 3 but not yet set. Perhaps February 15-ish. 

 

They pulled rank to assure CRS-10 launches in February, in part to make up for the lost Progress and to prevent a schedule collision with CRS-11 in March.

 

Looking like an RTLS landing.

 

Updated Guidance on SpaceXs First Launch from Pad 39A

HAWTHORNE, Calif.  Jan. 29, 2017. SpaceX announced today that its first launch from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida will be the CRS-10 mission to the International Space Station. The launch is currently targeted for no earlier than mid-February.  Following the launch of CRS-10, first commercial mission from 39A is currently slated to be EchoStar XXIII. This schedule change allows time for additional testing of ground systems ahead of the CRS-10 mission. The launch vehicles, Dragon, and the EchoStar satellite are all healthy and prepared for launch.

U.S. media interested in covering the CRS-10 mission must apply to NASA by 4:30 p.m. EST, today, Sunday, Jan. 29 to request accreditation.

SpaceX has extended media accreditation for U.S. media wishing to cover the EchoStar XXIII mission. U.S. media who have not yet submitted requests using the form below or linked to here may now make requests to for accreditation up until 5:00 p.m. EST, Friday, Feb. 10.  As indicated below, requesting accreditation is not required of media who hold current annual press credentials issued by Kennedy Space Center, but it is appreciated for planning purposes.

More details on these missions and various pre-launch activities will be made available at a later date.

[Blue-Vision]

SO what's happening with Echostar? Moved right?

[DocM]

Certainly moved right, but we don't know how far. This shuffled  things pretty well.

 

At least Fridays Transporter Erector test went well, testing it's Throwback design. Instead of slowly retracting a few degrees at T-3:00 this TE will drop rapidly, and further, at T-0.  Quite a trick for something do damn large at a distance it's mistaken for a Falcon 9 on the pad.

[DocM]

Here we go....Requested schedule,  waiting for confirmation.

CRS-10 Launch: Requesting February 14
Window: 1131-1136 Local

 

DAYLIGHT landing on LZ-1

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Not confirmed...but...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DocM]

February 03, 2017 

 

MEDIA ADVISORY M17-017

 

NASA Highlights Science Launching on Next SpaceX Cargo Mission

NASA will host a media teleconference at 3 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 8, to discuss research investigations launching aboard the next SpaceX commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station. Among the investigations are experiments with potential to fight human disease and a new autonomous spacecraft docking technology for testing.

 

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is targeted to launch no earlier than mid-February, on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This will be the first mission from the historic launch pad since SpaceX began to modernize the pad’s structures in preparation to fly astronauts on NASA missions for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

 

To participate in the science preview teleconference, reporters must contact Tabatha Thompson at 202-358-1100 or [email protected] by 1 p.m. Wednesday for dial-in information. 

 

The briefing participants will include:

 

    Danielle Gibson and Will Castro, students at Craft Academy at Morehead State University, to explain their experiment to use and evaluate smooth muscle cells to test theories about muscle contraction in the absence of gravity;  

    Paul Reichart, associate principal scientist at Merck Research Laboratories, who will discuss a Merck investigation that tests growth in microgravity of antibodies important for fighting a wide range of human diseases;

    Michael Freilich, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, to brief two Earth science payloads: NASA’s Stratospheric Aerosol Gas Experiment III mission and Lightning Imaging Sensor, which will provide continuity for key climate observations and data records;

    Ben Reed, deputy division director of the Satellite Servicing Projects Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, to discuss Raven, a technology demonstration to test autonomous rendezvous capability on the International Space Station; and

    Dr. Anita Goel, chairman and scientific director for Nanobiosym, to discuss an experiment to provide data valuable for antibiotic drug development. 

 

The uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft will carry crew supplies, scientific research and hardware to the orbital laboratory to support the Expedition 50 and 51 crew members. This launch is the tenth contracted mission by SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract.

 

Audio of the teleconference will stream live online at: 

 

http://www.nasa.gov/live

 

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit:

 

http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

[DocM]

 

[Blue-Vision]

The new TEL is looking quite beefy.  

[Draggendrop Veteran]

23 hours ago, Unobscured Vision said:

The new TEL is looking quite beefy.  

It will really be cool when the FH base is shown....can't wait...

[DocM]

That's the base for both F9 and FH.  It has removable panels for the side boosters (which also house the 2 side hold-downs), and hold-downs can be added or subtracted as needed. FH would have 2 wider spaced side hold-downs and 6 front/back hold-downs (3 each.)

 

Quite a project building that part.

Edited February 6, 2017 by DocM

[DocM]