Dragon joins ISS
What is Dragon?
- Dragon is an unmanned Cargo capsule of The SpaceX company.
- In 2010 it became the first commercially-built and operated spacecraft to be recovered successfully from orbit.
What is unique with this mission?
- With this rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS), Dragon has become the first became the first commercial spacecraft that has achieved this success.
What role is assigned to Dragon?
- Dragon carried half a tonne of food and spares for the ISS.
- It has the capability to carry upto 7 astronauts or a mixture of personnel and cargo, to and from low Earth orbit.
- Mission: Dock with the ISS and delver 521 kg of Cargo, return to Earth with 660 kg load
- Launched: May 22, 2012 atop a Falcon 9 rocket
- Launching site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
“SpaceX”
- Has a US $1.6 billion contract with US Space agency NASA
- To provide 12 minimum flights, with option for additional missions for cumulative contract value of $3.1 billion
- First Commercial outfit to send a spacecraft into orbit and back in 2010
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Month: Current Affairs - May, 2012