SpaceX CRS-16
SpaceX CRS-16, also known as SpX-16, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station launched on 5 December 2018[6] aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.[7] The mission was contracted by NASA and is flown by SpaceX.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft | |
Mission type | ISS resupply |
---|---|
Operator | SpaceX |
COSPAR ID | 2018-101A |
SATCAT no. | 43827 |
Mission duration | 39 days, 10 hours, 54 minutes |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Dragon C112.2 |
Spacecraft type | CRS Dragon |
Manufacturer | SpaceX |
Dry mass | 4,200 kg (9,300 lb) |
Dimensions | Height: 6.1 m (20 ft) Diameter: 3.7 m (12 ft) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 5 December 2018, 18:16 UTC |
Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |
Contractor | SpaceX |
End of mission | |
Disposal | Recovered |
Landing date | 14 January 2019, 05:10 UTC[1] |
Landing site | Pacific Ocean, off Baja California |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Inclination | 51.6° |
Berthing at ISS | |
Berthing port | Harmony nadir |
RMS capture | 8 December 2018, 12:21 UTC [2][3] |
Berthing date | 8 December 2018, 15:36 UTC [4] |
Unberthing date | 13 January 2019[5] |
RMS release | 13 January 2019 23:33 UTC |
Time berthed | 35 days |
NASA SpX-16 mission patch |
This CRS mission is the first with the Falcon 9 Block 5. It carried the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation lidar (GEDI) as an external payload.[8]
Launch
On February 2016, it was announced that NASA had awarded a contract extension to SpaceX for five additional CRS missions (CRS-16 to CRS-20).[9] As of June 2016, a NASA Inspector General report had this mission manifested for August 2018,[10] but it was later delayed to 29 November,[11] 4 December,[7] and 5 December 2018.[12]
The first stage booster B1050.1 experienced a grid fin hydraulic pump stall on re-entry. This caused the first stage to go into a roll after the re-entry burn. It failed to reach Landing Zone 1, but recovered enough to achieve a water landing off Cape Canaveral. Shortly after the landing, Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, stated the booster appeared undamaged and was being recovered. He also stated that if the damage is not enough to retire the booster, it "could be used for an internal SpaceX mission in the future".[13]
On 13 January 2019, Dragon was released from ISS at 23:33 UTC and deorbited, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 5 hours later on 14 January at 05:10 UTC, returning more than 2,500 kg (5,512 lb) of cargo to Earth.[1]
Payload
NASA contracted for the CRS-16 mission from SpaceX and therefore determined the primary payload, date/time of launch, and orbital parameters for the Dragon space capsule. It carried the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation lidar (GEDI) and the Robotic Refueling Mission 3 as external payloads.[14] Forty mice also flew with the payload in an experiment called Rodent Research-8 (RR-8).[12]
The CRS-16 mission also carried a pair of CubeSats originally planned to launch aboard the Cygnus NG-10 International Space Station cargo resupply mission, but which were deferred. These included the UNITE CubeSat from the University of Southern Indiana and the TechEdSat-8 CubeSat from NASA's Ames Research Center.[15]
Total Cargo | 5,673pounds / 2,573 kilograms[16] |
Total Pressurized Cargo with Packaging | 3,523 pounds / 1,598 kilograms[16] |
Unpressurized Payloads | 2,150 pounds / 975 kilograms[16] |
References
- Bergin, Chris (14 January 2019). "CRS-16 Dragon returns to Earth following ISS departure". NASA SpaceflightNow. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- "Dragon in the Grips of Robotic Arm, Installation Occurs Next". NASA. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- Gebhardt, Chris. "Dragon brings the science; NASA, SpaceX realign DM-1 test to NET 17 January launch". NASA Spaceflight. NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- Garcia, Mark. "Dragon Attached to Station, Returns to Earth in January". NASA Blogs. NASA. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- "Dragon Resupply Mission (CRS-16)". SpaceX. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- Lewin, Sarah (5 December 2018). "SpaceX Launches Dragon Cargo Ship to Space Station, But Misses Rocket Landing". Space.com. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- Pietrobon, Steven (1 November 2018). "United States Commercial LV Launch Manifest". Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- Krebs, Gunter. "GEDI". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- de Selding, Peter B. (24 February 2016). "SpaceX wins 5 new space station cargo missions in NASA contract estimated at $700 million". Space News. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- NASA Office of Inspector General (28 June 2016). NASA’s Response to SpaceX’s June 2015 Launch Failure: Impacts on Commercial Resupply of the International Space Station (PDF) (Report). NASA Office of Inspector General. p. 13. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. 31 May 2018. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018.
- Wall, Mike (4 December 2018). "Moldy Mouse Chow Delays SpaceX Dragon Launch to Space Station". Space.com.
- Sheetz, Michael. "Watch SpaceX's rocket land in the ocean after spinning off target". CNBC. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- Platnick, Steve (May–June 2018). "Editor's Corner" (PDF). The Earth Observer. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. 30 (3): 3.
- "Falcon 9 successfully lofts CRS-16 Dragon enroute to ISS – Booster spins out but soft lands in water". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- "SpaceX CRS-16 Mission Overview" (PDF). NASA. NASA. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
External links
- Dragon website at SpaceX.com
- Commercial Resupply Services at NASA.gov