COTS Demo Flight 2

COTS-2

Artist's rendering of a Dragon capsule berthing with the ISS, aided by the robotic Canadarm2.
DRAGON C2
Operator NASA
Major contractors SpaceX
Mission type Demonstration
Flyby of International Space Station
Launch date 7 February 2012[1]
Carrier rocket Falcon 9
Launch site Cape Canaveral LC40
Mission highlight First docking mission with the ISS

Dragon C2, also known as COTS Demo Flight 2, is a planned second test-flight for SpaceX's unpiloted Dragon cargo spacecraft, and the third overall flight for the company's two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The flight is under contract to NASA, as the second Dragon mission in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) phase 1 program. The purpose of the COTS program is to develop and demonstrate commercial sources for cargo re-supply of the International Space Station (ISS). In July 2011, NASA gave tentative approval for combining the mission objectives of COTS 2 and 3 into one flight. The proposed mission will first test rendezvous techniques, communications between Dragon and the ISS. If all goes well, than the mission's next phase includes berthing the Dragon to the ISS via the Canadarm2, staying for about a week, and having astronauts unload cargo, and then load with earth-bound cargo. It will undock and return to earth with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near the California coast. In December 2011, NASA formally approved the merger of the COTS 2 and 3 missions into the Dragon C2 flight, and after many launch date delays, set the tentative launch date to 7 February 2012.

Contents

History

NASA and SpaceX signed a contract for COTS cargo resupply services on 18 August 2006.[2][3] The agreement called for three test-flights, under the COTS phase 1 demonstration program.[4] The first COTS mission was completed successfully on 8 December 2010, when the Falcon 9/Dragon C1 mission became the first private-sector flight to orbit and then return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit.[5] Due to the mission's success, SpaceX lobbied NASA to combine the COTS 2 ISS flyby flight, which would have seen a Dragon spacecraft approach the station but stay about 10 km away from it, and the COTS 3 flight that would actually berth with the ISS.[4] At a 15 July 2011 meeting, NASA tentatively approved combining the two COTS missions to accelerate the program into the operational supply mission phase in 2012.[6]

The Falcon 9 launch vehicle arrived at SpaceX's Cape Canaveral facilities at Launch Complex 40 (LC 40) in July 2011.[7] The mission's Dragon spacecraft arrived at the launch site on 25 October 2011.[8]

Mission plan

The proposed mission plan, which combines the objectives of the previously planned COTS 2 and COTS 3 flights into a single mission, has the Dragon spacecraft performing a space rendezvous with the International Space Station, test its communication systems with the space station,[4] and then berth with the ISS by utilizing the station's Mobile Servicing System (Canadarm2) to capture and then position it.[7][6] The Dragon spacecraft will then return to Earth with cargo from the ISS, with the expected splashdown and recovery zone in the Pacific ocean, off the California coast.[9][10] NASA will make the final determination whether or not to allow the Dragon spacecraft to berth with the ISS after it is launched, because SpaceX intends to launch two secondary payload satellites from the Dragon sometime in the first 72 hours after launch.[11] The Dragon spacecraft will remain berthed for about a week, giving ISS astronauts time to unload cargo and then place some earth-bound cargo into it.[12] If allowed to berth, the mission is projected to last 22-days.[13]

Delays

COTS Demo Flight 2 was supposed to take place as early as 2010, but was delayed first by internal SpaceX issues, and then by 2011, NASA issues.[14] As planned on the manifests, COTS 2 was supposed to fly in June 2011. That got pushed back to the fall of 2011, and then it got further delayed by the failure of the Russian Progress 44 cargo resupply vessel in August, that might have forced the ISS to be temporarily abandoned in mid-November.[15] Another delay was caused when the berthing procedure required two ISS personnel to be trained and available for the berthing, causing further delays, as only one person was trained to berth the Dragon as of early December 2011.[16] So the launch dates have moved as follows: 6 June, 8 October, 30 November and 19 December 2011;[17] 7 January 2012.[17] Other external factors that have caused the delay is SpaceX's contract to orbit some communications satellites, "piggybacking" on the flight. NASA determined that the non-COTS section of the flight poses no danger to the ISS.[16] As of early December 2011, it looks most likely that the launch will occur sometime between February and March 2012.[16] On 9 December, NASA officially approved the merger of the COTS 2 and 3 missions into the Dragon C2 flight, but delayed the flight to tentatively 7 February 2012.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Ray, Justin (2011-12-09). "SpaceX demo flights merged as launch date targeted". Tonbridge, Kent, United Kingdom: Spaceflight Now Inc.. Archived from the original on 2011-12-09. http://www.webcitation.org/63oC76x1g. Retrieved 2011-12-09. 
  2. ^ Braukus, Michael; Beth Dickey; Kelly Humphries (2006-08-18). "NASA Selects Crew and Cargo Transportation to Orbit Partners" (Press release). Washington: NASA. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. http://www.webcitation.org/60U4bIOHD. Retrieved 2011-07-27. 
  3. ^ "SpaceX wins NASA COTS contract to demonstrate cargo delivery to Space Station with option for crew transport" (Press release). SpaceX. 2006-08-18. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. http://www.webcitation.org/60U4BZPTW. Retrieved 2011-07-27. 
  4. ^ a b c Svitak, Amy (2011-04-04). "New Test Plan Paves Way for Combined SpaceX COTS Demo". Space News. Springfield, Virginia, USA: Imaginova Corp. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. http://www.webcitation.org/60U0qVa5W. Retrieved 2011-07-27. 
  5. ^ Chow, Denise (2010-12-08). "Millionaire's Private Space Capsule Splashes Down After Successful Maiden Voyage". Space.com (New York). Archived from the original on 2011-07-29. http://www.webcitation.org/60Wz69lmH. Retrieved 2011-07-29. 
  6. ^ a b Carreau, Mark (2011-07-20). "SpaceX Station Cargo Mission Planned". Aviation Week. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/07/20/02.xml&headline=SpaceX%20Station%20Cargo%20Mission%20Planned. Retrieved 2011-07-26. 
  7. ^ a b Clark, Stephen (2011-07-25). "Hired private cargo ships booked to visit space station". Spaceflight Now. Tonbridge, Kent, United Kingdom: Spaceflight Now Inc.. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. http://www.webcitation.org/60Tbd1Blh. Retrieved 2011-07-26. 
  8. ^ Rhian, Jason (2011-10-24). "Here There Be Dragons: SpaceX’s Spacecraft Arrives at Launch Complex 40". Universe Today. Archived from the original on 2011-11-14. http://www.webcitation.org/63BjaheET. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
  9. ^ Wall, Mike (2011-07-28). "Space Station Puts Out Welcome Mat for private spaceships". Space.com (New York). Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. http://www.webcitation.org/60Wuzymda. Retrieved 2011-07-28. 
  10. ^ SpaceX Media Staff (2011). "Dragon Overview". Hawthorne, CA, USA: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. http://www.spacex.com/dragon.php. Retrieved 2011-07-27. 
  11. ^ Morring, Jr., Frank (2011-10-10). "SpaceX ISS Berthing Decision Coming Soon". Avation Week (New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.). http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/asd/2011/10/10/02.xml&channel=space. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
  12. ^ "Updates: COTS DEMO 2/3" (Press release). Hawthorne, California: SpaceX. 2011-12-15. Archived from the original on 2011-12-15. http://www.webcitation.org/63xWMHekl. Retrieved 2011-12-15. 
  13. ^ Staff (2011-10-25). "Prototype Spaceship Poised For Launch". Aviation Week. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?channel=space&id=news/awx/2011/10/25/awx_10_25_2011_p0-386105.xml&headline=null&prev=10. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
  14. ^ Norris, Guy (2011-10-06). "SpaceX Hints At New Slip In NASA Cargo Demo". Aviation Week. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/asd/2011/10/05/08.xml&channel=space. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
  15. ^ Carreau, Mark (2011-11-17). "SpaceX Demo Flight To ISS May Slip". Aviation Week (New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.). http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/asd/2011/11/17/06.xml&channel=space. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 
  16. ^ a b c Bergen, Chris (2011-12-05). "SpaceX Dragon ISS flight to slip further, pending combined mission approval". NASA Spacefligtht.com. Archived from the original on 2011-12-06. http://www.webcitation.org/63ioTqntF. Retrieved 2011-12-06. 
  17. ^ a b Clark, Stephen (2011-11-26). "Worldwide launch schedule". Tonbridge, Kent, United Kingdom: Spaceflight Now Inc.. Archived from the original on 2011-11-27. http://www.webcitation.org/63WK7j50k. Retrieved 2011-11-27. 
Vehicles
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Missions
Falcon 1
Falcon 9 w/ Dragon
Qualification (2010)  · COTS Demo Flight 1 (2010) · COTS Demo Flight 2 (2012)  · COTS Demo Flight 3 (2012–if needed)
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