This Saturday SpaceX will launch the seventh Dragon spacecraft on the fifth operational cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station. This flight will be conducted under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA, who have asked for a total of 12 ISS cargo transport missions to be provided by SpaceX.
If all goes well, the Falcon 9 rocket is expected to lift off the SLC-40 launchpad on the 10th January at 4:47 am local time, or 9:47 UTC. Following the launch it will begin its journey towards the ISS that it will berth with two days later.
Upon launch the nine Merlin 1D engines will ignite, lifting the Falcon 9 rocket off the launchpad and towards space. The first stage will fire for 3 minutes, before separating from the rocket. From here the second stage will burn for 6 further minutes, creating the required orbit. This orbit will allow for a rendezvous to take place with the ISS.
What makes this launch unusual and potentially historic is that the first stage won't simply fall into the Atlantic after it is done. SpaceX aim to land this stage on top of a barge that will be positioned out at sea.
Upon launch the nine Merlin 1D engines will ignite, lifting the Falcon 9 rocket off the launchpad and towards space. The first stage will fire for 3 minutes, before separating from the rocket. From here the second stage will burn for 6 further minutes, creating the required orbit. This orbit will allow for a rendezvous to take place with the ISS.
What makes this launch unusual and potentially historic is that the first stage won't simply fall into the Atlantic after it is done. SpaceX aim to land this stage on top of a barge that will be positioned out at sea.
The first stage will have grid fins and landing legs to do so. This will be the first time grid fins have been used on a commercial mission, having only previously seen them in testing. It is hoped these fins will aid in the maneuverability of the stage. If successful, the stage will be taken back for testing, and will strongly accelerate the aim of full first stage reusability in the near future.
The Dragon capsule is expected to berth with the ISS a day or two later. As with the launch, it will all be shown live on NASA TV.
The Dragon capsule is expected to berth with the ISS a day or two later. As with the launch, it will all be shown live on NASA TV.