Tag: Dragon 2
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SpaceX readies for installation of LC-39A Crew Access Arm, previews Crew Dragon
Just two weeks after the announcement of the NASA astronauts who will fly the company’s DM-2 and Crew-1 flights, SpaceX has provided more information and access to the Crew Dragon and now stands ready to install the Crew Access Arm – through which astronauts will board Dragon – at LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center.…
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Commercial Crew assignments; NASA nears goal of human space transport innovation
An announcement most have waited years for. NASA has officially announced the flight assignments for the first crewed test and operational flights of SpaceX’s Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner crew transportation vehicles. The announcements come as the Commercial Crew Program gears up for the uncrewed and crewed test flights of the first commercially developed vehicles that…
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ASAP reviews Boeing failure, positive SpaceX success ahead of Commercial Crew announcement
As NASA prepares to provide updated launch date targets for the uncrewed and crewed Commercial Crew demonstration missions from both SpaceX and Boeing – as well as flight crew assignments for each provider – the agency’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) held its quarterly meeting last Thursday, during which they outlined a failure on Boeing’s…
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SpaceX’s Pad 39A undergoing upgrades for Dragon 2 crew launches
Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is preparing for a return to crew launches, with modifications taking place to prepare the Fixed Service Structure (FSS) for the installation of the Crew Access Arm (CAA) and associated crew support equipment. The gantry – that astronauts will use to ingress Dragon 2 spacecraft – is…
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ASAP still has concerns over Commercial Crew LOC risks
NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) still has a number of concerns over crew safety numbers for the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), notably the guideline Loss of Crew (LOC) metric, based on the threat of MicroMeteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) damage and crew recovery from the ocean after an abort. The plan acknowledged both SpaceX and Boeing…
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ASAP still has concerns over Commercial Crew LOC risks
NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) still has a number of concerns over crew safety numbers for the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), notably the guideline Loss of Crew (LOC) metric, based on the threat of MicroMeteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) damage and crew recovery from the ocean after an abort. The plan acknowledged both SpaceX and Boeing…
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SpaceX and Boeing in home stretch for Commercial Crew readiness
With just one year to go until the scheduled completion of all uncrewed and crewed test flights for SpaceX and Boeing’s commercial crew transportation services, the NASA Advisory Council recently held a routine review of the technical, hardware, software, and training progress the two companies are making toward the goal of returning the capability to…
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Anticipating upgraded spaceships, SpaceX builds final first-generation Dragon cargo craft
File photo of a Dragon spacecraft at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX The Dragon supply ship set for liftoff from Florida next month was the last of SpaceX’s first-generation cargo capsules off the production line, meaning future logistics deliveries to the International Space Station will fly on recycled spacecraft until a new Dragon…
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On Atlantis’ anniversary, USA’s future space fleet closing in on maiden flights
The long-awaited return of American astronauts launching on US spacecraft, a capability last seen when Atlantis closed out the Shuttle Program in 2011, is set to return next year. Along with new crew transporters, the Space Shuttles’ legacy will be honored by the return of a lifting body vehicle, as Dream Chaser makes progress towards…
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Commercial Crew providers making “significant progress” toward first flights
As the mid-way point of 2017 arrives, both of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program service providers are making significant progress toward the first uncrewed test flights of their Dragon and Starliner capsules. At their second quarter 2017 meeting, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel noted this progress while also discussing outstanding concerns regarding the program and vehicles…