SpaceX CRS-8
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The CRS-8 SpaceX Dragon captured by Canadarm on April 10, 2016
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| Mission type | ISS resupply | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX / NASA | ||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||
| Spacecraft type | Dragon | ||||
| Manufacturer | SpaceX | ||||
| Start of mission | |||||
| Launch date | 8 April 2016, 20:43:31 UTC | ||||
| Rocket | Falcon 9 v1.2 FT [1] | ||||
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-40 | ||||
| Contractor | SpaceX | ||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||
| Reference system | Geocentric | ||||
| Regime | Low Earth | ||||
| Inclination | 51.6 degrees | ||||
| Epoch | Planned | ||||
| Berthing at ISS | |||||
| Berthing port | Harmony nadir | ||||
| RMS capture | 10 April 2016, 11:23 UTC | ||||
| Berthing date | 10 April 2016, 13:57 UTC | ||||
| Payload | |||||
| BEAM | |||||
| Mass | 3,136 kilograms (6,914 lb) | ||||
| Pressurised | 1,723 kilograms (3,799 lb) | ||||
| Unpressurised | 1,413 kilograms (3,115 lb) | ||||
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SpaceX CRS-8, also known as SpX-8,[2] is a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) which was launched on 8 April 2016 at 20:43 UTC (16:43 EDT). It was the tenth flight of a Dragon cargo spacecraft and the eighth operational mission contracted to SpaceX by NASA under the Commercial Resupply Services program.[3] The capsule carried over 3,100 kilograms (6,800 lb) of cargo to the ISS including the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), a prototype inflatable space habitat delivered in the vehicle's trunk, which will be attached to the station for two years of in-orbit viability tests.[4] After boosting the payload on its way, the rocket's first stage re-entered the denser layers of the atmosphere and landed vertically on the ocean platform Of Course I Still Love You, 9 minutes after liftoff,[5] achieving a long-sought-after milestone in SpaceX's reusable rocket program.
Contents
Launch schedule history[edit]
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The launch was initially scheduled by NASA to occur no earlier than September 2, 2015. The launch date went under review pending the outcome of the analysis of the failure of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle in SpaceX CRS-7, a June 2015 flight. The return-to-flight (RTF) project included additional improvements.[6]
With additional manifest changes announced by SpaceX in mid-October, CRS-8 was scheduled to be the third launch of the upgraded Falcon 9 full thrust rocket.[7] By March 2016, the launch date was set to April 8, 2016 with a backup launch window the next day.
The spacecraft was finally launched on schedule, at 16:43 local time (20:43 UTC) on April 8, 2016. The rocket first stage separated around 2'40" after liftoff, and the second stage separated around 10'30" after liftoff.
Primary payload[edit]
NASA has contracted for the CRS-8 mission from SpaceX and therefore determines the orbital parameters for the primary payload – the Dragon space capsule.
The mission delivered 3,136 kilograms of supplies, experiments, and hardware to the ISS. These include the station's first expandable module, called the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), which is expected to remain on the station for at least two years of observation and testing.[3][8]
Secondary payload[edit]
The secondary payload consists of sixteen Flock 2d 3U CubeSats. The Flock Earth observing constellation is built and operated by Planet Labs.[9]
Landing[edit]
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After placing the CRS-8 cargo on its way to the International Space Station, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket conducted an experimental boostback and re-entry maneuver over the Atlantic Ocean. Nine minutes after liftoff, at 16:52:10 EDT, the booster landed vertically on the autonomous droneship Of Course I Still Love You, 300 kilometres (190 mi) from the Florida coastline, achieving a long-sought-after milestone for the SpaceX reusability development program.[5]
This was the second successful landing achieved by a SpaceX orbital launch vehicle and the first by any organisation to successfully remain vertical on a floating platform. SpaceX first landed a Falcon 9 on solid ground at Cape Canaveral with flight 20 on 22 December 2015.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ "SpaceX Will Debut Upgraded Falcon 9 Rocket on Return to Flight Mission". space.com. September 6, 2015.
- ^ Hartman, Daniel (July 2014). "Status of the ISS USOS" (PDF). NASA Advisory Council HEOMD Committee. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ^ a b "NASA to Test Bigelow Expandable Module on Space Station". NASA. January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Thomson, Iain (March 14, 2015). "SpaceX to deliver Bigelow blow-up job to ISS astronauts". The Register. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ^ a b c Drake, Nadia (April 8, 2016). "SpaceX Rocket Makes Spectacular Landing on Drone Ship". National Geographic. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
To space and back, in less than nine minutes? Hello, future.
- ^ SpaceX conducts additional Falcon 9 improvements ahead of busy schedule, 7 September 2015, accessed 17 October 2015
- ^ de Selding, Peter B. (2015-10-16). "SpaceX Changes its Falcon 9 Return-to-flight Plans". SpaceNews. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ "SpaceX-8 Experiments to Cover Habitat, Drug Research". 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter Dirk (16 January 2016). "The Flock Earth observing constellation". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to SpaceX CRS-8. |
- Mission overview
- NASA
- CRS-8 press kit, SpaceX, 7 April 2016.
- Launch images from the NASA press site south of Pad 40
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