posted 05-31-2017 03:31 PM               

SpaceX CRS-11 Mission Overview

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the CRS-11 Dragon spacecraft to low-Earth orbit to deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station for NASA.

The 11th flight under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract with SpaceX, CRS-11 will deliver supplies for the station's Expedition 52/53 crews, as well as several science investigations, including:

• Seedling Growth-3, a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), to study the basic mechanisms of light and gravity-sensing in plants;

• Advanced Colloids Experiment-Temperature-6 (ACE-T-6), to study the microscopic behavior of colloids in gels and creams, providing new insight into fundamental interactions that can improve product shelf life;

• Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME), a set of five independent studies of gaseous flames to improve fuel efficiency and reduce pollutants in practical combustion on Earth;

• Fruit Fly Lab-02 (FFL-02), to compare flies that have hatched in space with flies grown on the ground to understand how prolonged spaceflight affects fruit fly heart function.

The Dragon's unpressurized trunk will also transport a Roll Out Solar Array (ROSA) demonstrator; the Multi-User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES) to provide a precision-pointing platform for observations of Earth; and the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) to study the collapsed cores of large stars.

CRS-11 is the 100th mission to launch from Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Following stage separation, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will attempt to land at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

CRS-11 marks the first re-flight of a SpaceX spacecraft. The Dragon previously resupplied the space station on SpaceX's CRS-4 mission in September 2014.

posted 05-31-2017 03:52 PM               

SpaceX is targeting the launch of its eleventh Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-11) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The instantaneous launch window is on Thursday, June 1 at 5:55 p.m. EDT or 21:55 UTC, with a backup launch attempt on Saturday, June 3 at 5:07 p.m. EDT or 21:07 UTC. Dragon will separate from Falcon 9's second stage about 10 minutes after liftoff and attach to the station on June 4.

posted 06-01-2017 04:33 PM               

Standing down due to lightning. Backup launch opportunity on Saturday, June 3 at 5:07 p.m. EDT or 21:07 UTC.

posted 06-03-2017 03:16 PM               

Weather is 60% favorable for today's Falcon 9 launch of Dragon to the space station. Liftoff set for 5:07 p.m. EDT, 21:07 UTC.

posted 06-03-2017 04:09 PM               

SpaceX launches first 'used' Dragon cargo capsule on 100th flight from NASA pad

A neutron star observatory, a new type of roll-out solar array, 40 mice and thousands of fruit flies are now on their way to the International Space Station, having lifted off aboard SpaceX's first Dragon cargo spacecraft to fly for a second time.

The start of the CRS-11 uncrewed station resupply mission on Saturday (June 3) marked the 100th launch from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in almost 50 years. The historic complex was the departure point for Apollo 11, the first flight to land humans on the moon, and the launch pad for the first and last space shuttle missions.

posted 06-05-2017 08:55 AM               

Astronauts capture Dragon at space station

Using the space station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, Expedition 52 flight engineers Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson of NASA captured the SpaceX CRS-11 Dragon cargo spacecraft on Monday (June 5).

The grapple came a few minutes earlier than scheduled at 8:52 a.m. CDT (1352 GMT).

"We want to note the special significance of SpaceX-11, which if we follow the naming convention the artist Prince, could be called 'the SpaceX formerly known as SpaceX-4.' That's right, it's flying its second mission to the ISS, launched off a first stage that landed back at Kennedy Space Center for its next flight," said Fischer.

"The last time we had a return visitor to the ISS was STS-135 in July of 2011, when Atlantis secured the shuttle's legendary place in history," he added. "We have a new generation of vehicles now, led by commercial partners like SpaceX, as they build the infrastructure that will carry us into the future of exploration."

posted 07-01-2017 11:23 AM               

SpaceX Dragon departure slips a day

Due to a forecast of unacceptable sea states in the Pacific Ocean in the prime opportunity splashdown zone, SpaceX and NASA have elected to delay the return of the CRS-11 Dragon cargo craft one day to Monday, July 3. The splashdown zone has an acceptable weather forecast and is closer to port in Long Beach, California.

Flight controllers will use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach the Dragon capsule, which arrived at the station June 5, from the Earth-facing side of the station's Harmony module. After they maneuver Dragon into place, Expedition 52 Flight Engineers Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson of NASA will command release of the spacecraft at 2:28 a.m. EDT (0628 GMT).

Dragon's thrusters will be fired to move the spacecraft a safe distance from the space station before SpaceX flight controllers in Hawthorne, California, command its deorbit burn.

Splashdown is expected around 260 miles southwest of the California coast.

posted 07-03-2017 04:33 AM               

SpaceX CRS-11 Dragon departs space station

Expedition 52 astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson released the CRS-11 Dragon from the International Space Station's robotic arm at 1:41 a.m. CDT (0641 GMT) on Monday (July 3).

"Dragon's been an incredible spacecraft," said Fischer. "I could even say it was slathered in awesome sauce. This baby has had almost no problems, which is an incredible feat considering it's the first reuse of a Dragon vehicle."

SpaceX flight controllers in Hawthorne, California, will command the Dragon's deorbit burn leading to the capsule splashing down at 7:12 a.m. CDT (1212 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean. A SpaceX recovery team will retrieve the Dragon and its more than 4,100 pounds (1,860 kg) of cargo, including science samples from human and animal research, biology and biotechnology studies and physical science research.

NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, the non-profit that manages research aboard the U.S. national lab portion of the station, will receive time-sensitive samples and begin working with researchers to distribute them within 48 hours of splashdown.

And there goes Dragon... Goodbye to our first return visitor since Atlantis in 2011 — Come on back anytime, we'll leave the lights on for you!

posted 07-03-2017 07:32 AM               

Beautiful expanse of stars — but the "long" orange one is SpaceX-11 reentering! Congrats team for a successful splashdown and great mission!

From SpaceX on Twitter:

Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed — completing first re-flight of a commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station.