{"id":38361,"date":"2018-07-13T22:11:21","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T14:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/crew-dragon-arrives-at-cape-space-station-schedule-to-drive-dm-1-launch-date\/"},"modified":"2018-07-13T22:11:21","modified_gmt":"2018-07-13T14:11:21","slug":"crew-dragon-arrives-at-cape-space-station-schedule-to-drive-dm-1-launch-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/crew-dragon-arrives-at-cape-space-station-schedule-to-drive-dm-1-launch-date\/","title":{"rendered":"Crew Dragon arrives at Cape; Space Station schedule to drive DM-1 launch date"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX\u2019s first Crew Dragon that will fly the uncrewed Demonstration Mission -1 (DM-1) as part of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program has arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, for final launch processing. &nbsp;With an internal work-to launch readiness date of 31 August 2018, it is now likely that the International Space Station\u2019s crew rotation and Visiting Vehicle schedule over the next few months will be the primary driver for the flight\u2019s eventual launch from the Florida Spaceport.<\/p>\n<p><b>Crew Dragon gets ready for DM-1:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The arrival of the Crew Dragon for DM-1 marks an important and major milestone in SpaceX\u2019s preparations for what looks to be the first flight of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, it is a critical step in returning the ability to launch astronauts to the International Space Station on a craft other than the venerable and extremely reliable Russian Soyuz crew vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>The ability to launch astronauts to the Station on more than one spacecraft was lost on 20 July 2011 with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis and the retirement of NASA\u2019s Shuttle fleet.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Landing of STS-135, the final space shuttle mission\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Pc18Sjz2-Rg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>With that retirement, the Russian Soyuz became the sole vehicle capable of launching NASA, ESA, CSA, and JAXA astronauts to the USOS (United States Operating Segment) \u2013 of which Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency are a part \u2013 section of the Station.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, the Soyuz has suffered no incidents in that time, as such an event would have eliminated the world\u2019s ability to reach its international orbital laboratory.<\/p>\n<p>Space Shuttle<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Space Shuttle models<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Technology News<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>\n<p>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, this gap in U.S. human launch capability is not the only period in the Station\u2019s lifetime that the Soyuz has been the sole human ride to the lab.<\/p>\n<p>Following the 2003 loss of Shuttle Columbia and the STS-107 crew, the Soyuz took up solo crew transportation duty to the Station until the Shuttle fleet returned to flight (STS-114) and began ferrying crewmembers to the outpost again (STS-121) in 2005 and 2006, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the U.S. is on the cusp of being able to launch humans into space again \u2013 and with final preparations now underway at the launch site for SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon DM-1 mission, the commencement of Commercial Crew Program launches is tangible.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1017516407204876288&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2018%2F07%2Fcrew-dragon-cape-iss-schedule-drive-dm-1-date%2F&amp;sessionId=ef9dce65e217d2a61c47392ec4a73be4171593f6&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1017516407204876288\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783498615109922127=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Crew Dragon arrived in Florida this week ahead of its first flight after completing thermal vacuum and acoustic testing at @NASA\u2019s Plum Brook Station in Ohio. https:\/\/t.co\/xXJE8TjcTr pic.twitter.com\/lr0P95zzIK<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 12, 2018<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Having completed assembly at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, the Crew Dragon that will fly the DM-1 mission was taken to NASA\u2019s Plum Brook Station facility in Ohio \u2013 part of NASA\u2019s Glenn Research Center \u2013 for vacuum chamber and acoustic testing.<\/p>\n<p>Based on the craft\u2019s arrival at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on Thursday, it appears that all went well with those tests \u2013 with no major issues that would impede the continuation of processing and delivery to the launch site discovered during the critical tests that ensured the Crew Dragon could properly function in the vacuum, thermal, and acoustic conditions it will experience during launch and while in Low Earth Orbit.<\/p>\n<p>With the first Crew Dragon now safely at the Cape, the next major visual milestone will be the delivery of the Falcon 9 Block 5 booster that will launch the mission.<\/p>\n<p>That Falcon 9 core is B1051 as confirmed by NASA documentation and public NASA conversations over the last several months.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-55142\" class=\"size-full wp-image-55142\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Block52.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1451\" height=\"826\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Block52.jpg 1451w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Block52-350x199.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Block52-615x350.jpg 615w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Block52-768x437.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Block52-1170x666.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1451px) 100vw, 1451px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-55142\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">First Block 5 on the McGregor Test Stand on Monday \u2013 via Gary Blair for NSF\/L2<\/p>\n<p>Based on core sightings\/observations and launch campaigns, it is believed that core B1051 is finishing up construction in Hawthorne now and will ship to McGregor, Texas, for acceptance firing in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"widget-title penci-border-arrow\">See Also<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>DM-1 Mission General Thread<\/li>\n<li>SpaceX&nbsp;Missions Forum Section<\/li>\n<li>L2 SpaceX Section<\/li>\n<li>Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>With cores B1047 and B1048 getting ready for their July roles in the Telstar 19V and Iridium NEXT-7 launches, respectively, core B1049 was the last core spotted at the McGregor test facility. &nbsp;This likely indicates \u2013 as cores generally come off the assembly line and head for Texas in numerical order, that core B1050 will be next out of Hawthorne and on the test stand at McGregor soon.<\/p>\n<p>Core B1051 was selected as the booster for the DM-1 flight several months ago, and its processing schedule was aligned with a work-to launch readiness date of NET (No Earlier Than) 31 August 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Of note, at a press briefing prior to the launch of SpaceX\u2019s CRS-15 Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station in late-June, International Space Station Program Manager Kirk Shireman and SpaceX\u2019s Dragon Mission Manager, Jessica Jensen, both stated and reiterated that SpaceX\u2019s work-to date for the DM-1 flight was 31 August. <\/p>\n<p>However, Mr. Shireman made an interesting point during that briefing: that NASA was now looking at the Visiting Vehicle and crew rotation schedules aboard the International Space Station to see exactly when the upcoming demonstration flight could fit into the Station\u2019s overall schedule.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57136\" class=\"size-full wp-image-57136\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-13-134628.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1880\" height=\"893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-13-134628.jpg 1880w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-13-134628-350x166.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-13-134628-630x299.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-13-134628-768x365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-13-134628-1170x556.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1880px) 100vw, 1880px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-57136\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crew Dragon heads uphill on the Falcon 9 \u2013 via Nathan Koga for NSF\/L2<\/p>\n<p>To this end, it appears possible that SpaceX could in fact be internally ready to launch the DM-1 mission by or very close to its internal work-to date of 31 August but end up having to delay the flight because the International Space Station itself is not capable of receiving the Crew Dragon due to the current Visiting Vehicle schedule in September and October.<\/p>\n<p>Most prominently on the U.S. side of the Station is the scheduled 10 September launch of the Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency\u2019s (JAXA\u2019s) HTV-7 uncrewed resupply vehicle. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The HTV is berthed via Canadarm2 to Node-2 \u201cHarmony\u2019s\u201d nadir (Earth-facing) port. &nbsp;Just feet away from where the HTV will be berthed to Station is the location of the DM-1 Dragon docking port \u2013 Pressurized Mating Adaptor-2 (PMA-2) on the Forward end of Node-2 \u201cHarmony\u201d. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>HTV-7 is scheduled to remain at Station for 59 days based on the most-recent NASA documentation. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The main potential complication between HTV-7 and DM-1 is the amount of crew time dedicated to berthed resupply vehicles like HTV \u2013 periods that take up a great deal of the U.S. segment crews\u2019 time as they unload the craft, perform time-critical experiments, and reload the craft ahead of its departure.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-56947\" class=\"size-full wp-image-56947\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-01-221341.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1444\" height=\"781\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-01-221341.jpg 1444w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-01-221341-350x189.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-01-221341-630x341.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-01-221341-768x415.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-07-01-221341-1170x633.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1444px) 100vw, 1444px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-56947\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Canadarm2 reaches and grabs the arriving HTV-7 resupply vehicle in December 2016. (Credit: NASA)<\/p>\n<p>This is a complication to the uncrewed DM-1 Dragon flight because SpaceX has stated that the DM-1 vehicle will bring up some supplies to the International Space Station, thus requiring Station crew time to unload the craft and fill it back up with any materials that require a ride back to Earth in a capsule that can safely reenter Earth\u2019s atmosphere, splash down in the ocean, and be recovered. <\/p>\n<p>Complicating crew-time matters more is the upcoming Soyuz crew rotation period in early- to mid-October, during which the Station\u2019s crew complement will be temporarily reduced to three people from six \u2013 further limiting the remaining crews\u2019 ability to work with HTV-7 and support the DM-1 mission in that timeframe.<\/p>\n<p>Looking beyond HTV-7\u2019s departure and the October crew rotation, the next Progress resupply vehicle from Roscosmos is currently slated to launch on 31 October (UTC), followed on NET 17 November by the 10th mission of Northrop Grumman\u2019s Cygnus resupply spacecraft. &nbsp;SpaceX\u2019s own CRS-16 resupply mission is then set to follow NET 29 November.<\/p>\n<p>There is also a planned November Soyuz crew rotation for the International Space Station \u2013 during which the Station\u2019s crew will again be temporarily reduced to three people from six.<\/p>\n<p>In short, these are complications. &nbsp;But they are not, in and of themselves, complete impediments to launching the SpaceX DM-1 flight in September or October.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57124\" class=\"size-full wp-image-57124\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Crew-Dragon-docks.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Crew-Dragon-docks.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Crew-Dragon-docks-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Crew-Dragon-docks-622x350.jpg 622w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Crew-Dragon-docks-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Crew-Dragon-docks-1170x658.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-57124\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Crew Dragon approaches the International Space Station for docking with PMA-2 on the forward end of Node-2 Harmony. (Credit: Nathan Koga for NSF\/L2)<\/p>\n<p>Potentially threading the 14-day DM-1 uncrewed flight of Dragon to the Station between all of these events could be somewhat tricky.<\/p>\n<p>But as ISS Program Manager Kirk Shireman stated, this is what is currently being discussed between the ISS Program, Commercial Crew Program, and SpaceX as all three programs work to determine an exact target launch date for the DM-1 mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX\u2019s first Crew Dragon that will fly the uncrewed Demonstration Mission -1 (DM-1) as part of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program has arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, for final launch processing. &nbsp;With an internal work-to launch readiness date of 31 August 2018, it is now likely that the International Space Station\u2019s crew rotation [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38362,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38361"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38361\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}