Dragon berthed at the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)
Hawthorne, CA (SPACEX PR) – Today, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) made history when its Dragon spacecraft became the first commercial vehicle in history to successfully attach to the International Space Station. Previously only four governments – the United States, Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency – had achieved this challenging technical feat.
Praise is rolling in for SpaceX’s successful Dragon flight to the International Space Station…
Commercial Spaceflight Federation
CSF President and former ISS commander Michael Lopez-Alegria said in a statement, “Tomorrow the six astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station will open the hatches to the first visiting vehicle from a private company. Future commercial cargo deliveries under NASA’s COTS and CRS programs will ensure that the ISS continues to be a resource for America and its international partners.
“This is truly a momentous accomplishment for SpaceX and for the industry. The capabilities of the commercial space industry grow by the day, and America is well on its way to having a diverse, cost-effective and dependable space transportation system. The entire team at SpaceX should be commended for their commitment and skill, and thanked for their contribution to restoring U.S. access to the Space Station.” (more…)
Caption: This 747 is sitting in a boneyard in Mojave, CA awaiting scrapping. On May 23rd, 2012 the area experienced extreme winds of 70+ miles per hour due to a low pressure zone. Without the weight of its engines, the slightly tail heavy 747 tries to take to the skies one last time. The next day the plane was found to have also rotated about 45 degrees from its original […]
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft was captured by the International Space Station at 9:56 a.m. EDT on Friday. Astronauts aboard the station captured the automated spacecraft using Canadarm2. UPDATE: The SpaceX Dragon capsule was securely bolted to the Harmony module of the International Space Station at 12:02 p.m. EDT. SpaceX becomes the first private company to launch and reach the space station. ISS astronauts are now in the process of berthing the […]
Boeing's CST-100 crew transport. (Credit: Boeing)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Boeing Company has successfully completed a new milestone in the development of software that will operate its Crew Space Transportation (CST) spacecraft. The company is one of NASA’s partners developing commercial crew transportation capabilities to ferry U.S. astronauts to and from low Earth orbit and the International Space Station.
With the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of its software on May 18, the company now has completed more than 40 milestones under partnerships supporting NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP).
“When it comes to designing a spacecraft safe enough to transport humans, software is as important as the hardware,” said Ed Mango, CCP manager. “Boeing has made an excellent effort to take safety into consideration while developing critical software components of its spacecraft.”
By Douglas Messier Parabolic Arc Managing Editor Well. the Mojave Big Wind Sandapaloozza of 2012 ended late last night. Sunny skies devoid of massive dust clouds once again shined over the desert today. And massive 747 aren’t threatening to go cartwheeling across the Boneyard. I saw a fair amount of damage. There was a recreational vehicle run off the road up near where I live. It wasn’t turned over on […]
The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft approaches the International Space Station on May 24, 2012 for a series of tests to clear it for its final rendezvous and grapple on May 25. At 3:58 a.m. (EDT), Dragon performed a height adjust burn to bring it to a path 2.4 kilometers below the station. During this “fly-under,” Dragon established UHF communication with the station using its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) […]
HOUSTON (Conrad Foundation PR)— Nancy Conrad, founder and chairman of the Conrad Foundation, has announced the Foundation has joined forces with NanoRacks LLC, the leading company for low-earth orbit utilization, to launch a new program called DreamUp. The program will assist students in funding an out-of-this-world educational experience – conducting experiments in space. DreamUp is the first program to enable students to use American Express® Membership Rewards® points to fund student experiments onboard the International Space Station (ISS).
CSA PR — “Here, there be dragons”…the phrase used to designate the boundaries of the known world on historical maps seems fitting as the US space program embarks upon a new frontier in space exploration with the launch of the first commercial demonstration flight to the International Space Station. However, rarely were the monsters of yore as eagerly anticipated as SpaceX’s Dragon, the first privately built cargo ship destined for the orbiting outpost.
NASA TV Schedule for Friday and Saturday Friday, May 25 (Flight Day 4): Live coverage of the rendezvous and berthing of the Dragon spacecraft to the station begins at 2 a.m. and will continue through the capture and berthing of the Dragon to the station’s Harmony node. A news briefing will be held at 1 p.m. after Dragon is secured to the station. Saturday, May 26 (Flight Day 5): Live […]
