The second flight of the Falcon 9 with the Dragon capsule is being set at Cape Canaveral, Florida for next month subsequent to the STS-133 Discovery launch.
The first Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demo requires SpaceX to show that Dragon can complete as many as four orbits around Earth, transmit telemetry data, receive commands, maneuver, reenter the atmosphere and make a safe water landing and recovery.
Dragon will initially be used to transport cargo to the International Space Station, under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA, with flights slated to begin next year. Meanwhile, a crew-carrying Dragon spacecraft are also under development and designed to carry up to seven astronauts.
Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corporation will also launch the new Taurus-2 to space for the first time next year from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Which of the two private space launch firms will actually place cargo on the ISS first is yet to be determined.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
SpaceX Prepares for NeXt Falcon 9 Launch
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