SpaceX Dragon C106

Dragon capsule C106
C106 after post-splashdown recovery from CRS SpX-11 mission
Role Space capsule
Cargo spacecraft
National origin United States
Type Dragon CRS cargo capsule
Manufacturer SpaceX
Construction number C106
First flight CRS-4 (21 September–25 October 2014)
Last flight CRS-11 (3 June–3 July 2017)
Flights 2

The SpaceX Dragon C106 is a Cargo Dragon space capsule built by SpaceX.[1] It is the first reused SpaceX Dragon capsule to be reflown into space, having its second launch in 2017.[2] This marked the second occasion that SpaceX launched previously spacelaunched hardware, after reusing Falcon 9 first stage B1021 earlier in 2017; this was the first time SpaceX reused a capsule.[3] Capsule 106 was first used on mission NASA SpaceX CRS-4, and then used again for the NASA SpaceX CRS-11 mission.[4] This reuse of the spacecraft marks a milestone in SpaceX's drive to reduce spacelaunch costs through reusing hardware.[5]

Spacecraft history

C106 was built as the sixth production Dragon capsule.[6]

This new Dragon was launched in September 2014 for the NASA CRS SpX-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It splashed down in October 2014, and was successfully retrieved.[7][8]

To prepare for its second flight, it had its heatshield replaced; the hull, avionics, and Draco thrusters were refurbished.[9]

The refurbished Dragon was relaunched in June 2017 for the NASA CRS SpX-11 mission to the ISS.[10][5] It splashed down and was successfully recovered in July 2017.[11]

Flight history

C106 in free-flight approaching the International Space Station during the SpX-4 mission
C106 in free-flight after leaving the International Space Station during the SpX-11 mission
C106 flights[1][6]
Flight # Mission Launch date (UTC) Landing date (UTC) Liftoff Landing Notes
1 NASA CRS-4 21 September 2014 25 October 2014 [12]
2 NASA CRS-11 3 June 2017 3 July 2017 This was the 100th launch from Launch Pad 39A [1][13][11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 William Graham (1 June 2017). "Weather halts Falcon 9 mission with CRS-11 Dragon on 100th 39A launch". NASAspaceflight.com.
  2. ↑ "SpaceX To Launch Reused Dragon Capsule, Land Falcon 9 At Kennedy Space Center". Brevard Times. 17 May 2017.
  3. ↑ Mike Wall (23 June 2017). "SpaceX Launches Rocket With "Highest-Ever Reentry Force"". Scientific American.
  4. ↑ Hanneke Weitering (1 June 2017). "SpaceX to Launch 1st Reused Dragon Spacecraft Saturday: Watch It Live". Space.com.
  5. 1 2 Dana Hull; Andrea Wong; (3 June 2017). "SpaceX Ferries Supplies to Orbiting Station in Reused Capsule". Bloomberg.
  6. 1 2 "First SpaceX Dragon Re-Use Mission Grounded until Saturday by Unsettled Weather". Spaceflight 101. 1 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "SpaceX Completes CRS-4 Mission for NASA". SpaceX. 4 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "CRS-11 Dragon Resupply Mission" (PDF). SpaceX. June 2017.
  9. ↑ Emre Kelly (31 May 2017). "SpaceX, NASA ready for Falcon 9 launch with refurbished Dragon". Florida Today.
  10. ↑ "SpaceX launches Chinese experiment, other supplies to space station". Xinhua. 4 June 2017.
  11. 1 2 Derek Richardson (3 July 2017). "Dragon Splashes Down in Pacific With Time-Critical Experiments". Spaceflight Insider.
  12. ↑ "Dragon SpX-4 Mission Updates". Spaceflight 101. 2014.
  13. ↑ "SpaceX launches ISS supply rocket". DPA. Sky News Australia. 4 June 2017.

See also

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