CAPE CANAVERAL FL- The Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft on top, launched on Sunday night. SpaceX CRS-1 will be the first commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX).
The launch kicks off the first mission for SpaceX to deliver cargo to the International Space Station for NASA under the Commercial Resupply Services contract, which ultimately calls for 12 total resupply flights by the company. The Dragon spacecraft will arrive at the ISS on Wednesday.
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-The SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule lift off Oct. 7. Photo credit: NASA-
Under the CRS contract, SpaceX will restore an American capability to deliver and return significant amounts of cargo, including science experiments, to the orbiting laboratory -- a capability not available since the retirement of the space shuttle.
The Dragon, filled with about 1,000 pounds of supplies, includes critical materials to support the 166 investigations planned for the station's Expedition 33 crew, including 63 new investigations. The Dragon will return about 734 pounds of scientific materials, including results from human research, biotechnology, materials and educational experiments, as well as about 504 pounds of space station hardware.
SpaceX is shooting for its next supply run in January. Another company looking to haul space station cargo, Virginia's Orbital Sciences Corp., hopes to launch a solo test flight in December and a demo mission to the station early next year. -FMI: NASA.gov
The launch kicks off the first mission for SpaceX to deliver cargo to the International Space Station for NASA under the Commercial Resupply Services contract, which ultimately calls for 12 total resupply flights by the company. The Dragon spacecraft will arrive at the ISS on Wednesday.
-The SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule lift off Oct. 7. Photo credit: NASA-
Under the CRS contract, SpaceX will restore an American capability to deliver and return significant amounts of cargo, including science experiments, to the orbiting laboratory -- a capability not available since the retirement of the space shuttle.
The Dragon, filled with about 1,000 pounds of supplies, includes critical materials to support the 166 investigations planned for the station's Expedition 33 crew, including 63 new investigations. The Dragon will return about 734 pounds of scientific materials, including results from human research, biotechnology, materials and educational experiments, as well as about 504 pounds of space station hardware.
SpaceX is shooting for its next supply run in January. Another company looking to haul space station cargo, Virginia's Orbital Sciences Corp., hopes to launch a solo test flight in December and a demo mission to the station early next year. -FMI: NASA.gov