Tag: Dragon
-
Elon Musk is bullish on Dragon space rides, but Red Dragon on Mars? Not so much
Artwork shows a Red Dragon capsule firing its thrusters for a Mars landing. (SpaceX Illustration) SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he expects to see astronauts flying to the International Space Station on his company’s Dragon capsules by mid-2018 – but is downplaying a technology that would have opened the way for robotic “Red Dragon” missions to…
-
Propulsive landings nixed from SpaceX’s Dragon spaceship
Artist’s concept of SpaceX’s Red Dragon spacecraft. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s upgraded Dragon capsules will not return astronauts to Earth for powered landings as originally envisioned, company boss Elon Musk said Wednesday, a design change that raises questions about the space transport firm’s plans to send commercial landers to the surface of Mars. Musk cited safety…
-
Dragon capsule returns home with animals and station equipment
The Dragon spacecraft was lifted onto a boat for a trip back to port in Southern California following Monday’s predawn splashdown. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s Dragon spaceship, carrying more than 4,100 pounds of cargo and research specimens, descended to a predawn splashdown Monday in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles, completing the first re-flight of…
-
Live coverage: SpaceX’s Dragon supply ship ends month-long mission
Live coverage of the departure of SpaceX’s Dragon supply ship from the International Space Station and its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean with several tons of experiment samples and cargo. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
-
Reused Dragon returns to Earth after month-long science bonanza
After 30 days in space and 28 days berthed to the International Space Station, SpaceX’s first ever reused Dragon capsule has unberthed from the Station ahead of a Monday afternoon reentry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean for recovery. Over the course of its month-long stay, Dragon delivered several thousand pounds of scientific experiments and equipment…
-
Recycled SpaceX Dragon capsule makes history with its second splashdown
The re-entry of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule shows up as an orange flash against the backdrop of a shadowed Earth in this view from the International Space Station. The station’s robotic arm is silhouetted against the atmosphere’s glow. Click on the image for a larger version. (NASA Photo via Twitter / Jack Fischer) SpaceX already proved…
-
Prototype solar array jettisoned as Dragon capsule prepares for trip home
Updated at 10 p.m. EDT June 30 (0200 GMT July 1). An experimental solar wing sent to the International Space Station earlier this month was jettisoned from the orbiting lab’s robotic arm after engineers were unable to fully retract the array. The disposal followed an otherwise successful test of the power panel’s novel roll-out deployment…
-
Experiment devoted to neutron star research installed on space station
Artist’s concept of a pulsar (blue-white disk in center) pulling in matter from a nearby star (red disk at upper right). The stellar material forms a disk around the pulsar (multicolored ring) before falling on to the surface at the magnetic poles. The pulsar’s intense magnetic field is represented by faint blue outlines surrounding the…
-
SpaceX’s CRS-11 Dragon captured by Station for a second time
For the first time since 2011, a previously-flown spacecraft has arrived at the International Space Station. The CRS-11 Dragon from SpaceX – which was previously used on the CRS-4 mission in Sept.-Oct. 2014 – was capture and berthed to the ISS following a flawless 41-hour orbital rendezvous. The capture came ahead of schedule at 09:52…
-
Prince gets a shout-out as reused SpaceX Dragon capsule links up with space station
What do Prince and SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule, freshly arrived at the International Space Station, have in common? NASA astronaut Jack Fischer referred to the late musician today after he and his crewmates used the station’s robotic arm to latch onto the Dragon for its berthing at 6:52 a.m. PT. The robotic spacecraft, which was launched…