SpaceX Dragon, or New competition in space. American spaceship Dragon Cargo ship dragon

For the first time, a private company not only launched a device into low-Earth orbit, but also showed that it was capable of returning it to Earth. For the first time in thirty years, a new spaceship has appeared in America, capable of lifting passengers “up” and lowering them “down.” For the first time, private manned spaceflight has shown that it is ready to go beyond suborbital jumps.

On December 8, 2010 at 18:43 Moscow time, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 launch vehicle with the Dragon spacecraft.

This was the second flight of the Falcon 9. During the first (in June 2010), a full-size Dragon prototype was launched into orbit. But the December 8 launch is the first demonstration flight conducted under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.

Interestingly, the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket was delayed a day from the original plan due to two tiny cracks found at the very end of the second stage engine nozzle. The engineers believed that the cracks (whether they tried to repair them or not - it is not explained) would not affect the operation of the engine (and they were right), but it took a day to check the rest of the unit and make sure that the cracks were not a sign of a more serious problem.
The photo shows engines being prepared for the third and fourth launches of Falcon 9. By the way, both stages of the rocket are equipped with almost identical Merlin engines, created by SpaceX itself and differing only in some details. They are optimized for operation close to the ground and in vacuum, respectively (photo by SpaceX).

The American space agency expects that the Dragon will first act as a truck on the Earth-ISS line, and later “as a taxi,” because the SpaceX project provides for both an automatic and a manned version of the Dragon.

Falcon 9 and Dragon during preparation for launch. In the bottom image, the PICA-X heat shield is clearly visible near the descent capsule. This material is SpaceX’s own development, based on a composite created by NASA. PICA-X is designed to protect the vehicle during re-entry into the atmosphere at a speed of 7 kilometers per second, when the temperature of the bottom rises to 1850 degrees Celsius (Brian Attiyeh, Michael Rooks/SpaceX).

The Dragon consists of three main parts: a fairing, a conical sealed capsule with a diameter of 3.6 meters and an unpressurized cylindrical compartment. The capsule is accessible through a docking port and can carry both cargo and crew.
The cylindrical instrument compartment under the capsule carries solar panels, radiators, and cargo that does not require sealed storage. In total, the unmanned version of the Dragon can deliver up to 6 tons of supplies into orbit and return up to 3 tons of cargo to Earth (illustration by Space.com).

The current flight is designed to test communication and navigation systems, as well as test maneuvering in orbit. After several orbits around the planet (and more than three hours after launch), the descent module should splash down in the Pacific Ocean, 800 kilometers west of Mexico.

In August 2010, the Dragon passed a full test of the parachute system: the capsule was dropped from a helicopter into the ocean from a height of more than 4 kilometers. First, the device deployed a pair of small braking parachutes, which slowed down and stabilized the capsule, and then three main ones (photo Roger Gilbertson, Chris Thompson/SpaceX).

Height: 2.9 m, diameter: 3.6 m, sealed volume: 10 m³, unsealed volume: 14 m³

Dragon (SpaceX)- a private transport spacecraft, developed by SpaceX, commissioned by NASA as part of the Commercial Orbital Transportation (COTS) program, designed to deliver payload and, in the future, people to the International Space Station. The need for new trucks arose in the States due to the cessation of shuttle flights.

Technical data

“Dragon” consists of two modules: a conical-shaped command-assembly compartment and an adapter trunk for docking with the second stage of the launch vehicle, which serves as an unpressurized container for placing cargo and disposable equipment - solar panels and radiators of the cooling system. The energy supply of the ship, like the Russian Soyuz, is provided by solar panels and batteries. Unlike the American spacecraft Apollo, as well as those being developed by the spacecraft of the Russian Advanced Manned Transport System project, NASA Orion, Boeing’s CST-100, the “Dragon” is practically a monoblock ship. The propulsion system, fuel tanks, batteries and other equipment of the power compartment are returned with the ship, which is unique (analogous to the SS). At the first stage of development (cargo spacecraft), docking with the ISS, due to the absence of an autonomous docking system, is carried out in the same way as the docking of the Japanese HTV.

The dragon is being developed in several modifications: manned (crew of up to 7 people), cargo-passenger (crew of 4 people + 2.5 tons of cargo), cargo (this is the version it will be used in the first time), and a modification for autonomous flights (DragonLab ).

It is assumed that a unique emergency rescue system (ESS) will be created for the Dragon spacecraft, located not on the mast above the spacecraft, but in the ship itself. According to the head and general designer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, SAS engines may be used when landing the spacecraft on land.

It is also planned to develop a modification of the ship for flight to Mars - “Red Dragon”. It is a capsule for landing on a planet worth 400 million dollars. A flight to Mars is planned for 2018.

First launch of the launch vehicle

Dragon capsule in the assembly shop

On August 12, 2010, a parachute system designed for the Dragon ship was successfully tested in the Morro Bay area on the Pacific coast of the United States. The capsule was lifted by helicopter to a height of 4.2 km and dropped down. The braking and main parachutes worked normally, lowering the vehicle normally to the surface of the ocean. In this case, the astronauts in the ship will experience an overload of no more than 2-3 g during splashdown.

First orbital flight

Falcon 9 launch with Dragon spacecraft

The spacecraft entered orbit, circled the Earth twice at an altitude of 300 km, and then began to descend. The capsule entered the atmosphere and, according to the flight plan, having opened its parachutes, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 19:04 GMT (22:04 Moscow time).

The mission featured Dragon's orbit-to-orbit transfer capabilities, as well as telemetry transmission, command transmission, deorbit impulse delivery, and parachute-assisted splashdown into the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.

On board the Dragon spacecraft was a “top secret cargo”, information about which was revealed only after the capsule splashed down. As it turned out, it was a wheel of cheese, which was in a special container screwed to the floor of the descent module.

Expected flights

Dragon spacecraft during docking with the ISS (picture)

SpaceX has received a license to carry out the space flight of the Dragon spacecraft. The US Federal Aviation Administration granted the company its first commercial license to launch and land reusable spacecraft. According to this document, SpaceX can carry out more than 200 launches within a year, if technical capabilities allow.

According to the contract concluded between NASA and SpaceX, the latter must carry out 15 Falcon 9 launches - three test and 12 regular missions to deliver cargo to the ISS. The first flight to the station is scheduled for November 30, 2011. However, flight tests of Falcon 9 and the Dragon spacecraft have been postponed more than once. It was previously reported that SpaceX was unable to obtain a certificate for “one of the critical launch vehicle systems.”

Test flight schedule

• The first flight involves separation from the launch vehicle in orbit, transmission of telemetry, receiving commands from the Earth, demonstration of orbital maneuvering, thermoregulation, entry into the atmosphere (duration 5 hours) - successfully completed on December 8, 2010.
• In the second - approach to the ISS at 10 km (without docking), radio communication and control from on board the ISS (duration 5 days).
• The third flight is the first mission to deliver cargo to the ISS (duration 3 days).

Possible changes to the flight schedule

Meanwhile, NASA Deputy Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier said NASA plans to dock the Dragon spacecraft with the ISS in November-December 2011. The ship will fly up to the station, hover, and the station's manipulator will capture the ship and dock it with the ISS.

see also

• Constellation (space program) (USS Orion)

Notes

Links

Wikimedia Foundation.

2010.

Dragon is a private transport spacecraft from SpaceX, developed by order of NASA as part of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, which should replace the space shuttles and save the United States from dependence on Russian carriers, in particular the Soyuz. Currently, Dragon is the only device in the world capable of returning from space to Earth. Manned flights are planned for 2018. It is assumed that a unique emergency rescue system (ESS) will be created for the Dragon spacecraft, located not on a mast above the spacecraft, but in the ship itself. According to the head and general designer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, SAS engines may be used when landing the spacecraft on land.

SpaceX's first passenger crew has been assembled, a flight date has been set, and now it's time to prepare it for its journey into space. On Monday, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell showed off the first four NASA astronauts who will ride into space on the company's brand new passenger spacecraft, itself built for NASA's commercial human spaceflight program. The company also revealed what tools astronauts will use to prepare for these flights.

Currently, the US has high hopes for the private projects Dragon and Cygnus. The fact is that the closure of the Space Shuttle program was somewhat unexpected and, by coincidence, NASA did not have any disposable spacecraft left to deliver cargo and people into orbit. Creating new ones takes time and a considerable amount of money. The resulting “hole” in the space program had to be urgently closed. In 2006, a radically new solution for world astronautics was proposed. In January of that year, NASA announced the start of the COST program. The most notable aspect of this program concerned the involvement of private organizations in the space industry. They were invited to present their projects for a promising “cargo-passenger” spacecraft. The American space agency put forward this proposal for several reasons. Firstly, NASA has certain difficulties in financing new complex projects, and secondly, the peculiarities of the government structure do not allow it to fully respond to current requirements in a timely manner, which ultimately results in significant delays. The COST program, in turn, is designed to take advantage of the flexibility and other advantages of commercial organizations. At the same time, NASA was able to allocate only one and a half to two times the cost of one Shuttle-type vehicle for the program.

At the end of 2008, the first stage of the COST program – consideration of competitive projects – was completed. Contracts were signed with two companies to complete the development and testing of two ships. SpaceX and Orbital Sciences were supposed to complete the Dragon and Cygnus projects, respectively. Work on Cygnus has not yet come to an end, but Dragon has already made its first flight. It should be noted that the launch on May 22 was fundamentally not the first in the “biography” of Dragon. In December 2010, a test flight was carried out, during which the Dragon prototype entered orbit, performed test maneuvers and landed. But at the end of May of this year, Dragon not only demonstrated its flight capabilities, but also delivered cargo to the ISS for the first time. Due to the test nature of the last launch today, Dragon carried non-essential cargo - in case of a possible accident. However, the new truck successfully entered orbit and approached the International Station. Thus, the third test launch, planned in case of failure in the second flight, will most likely receive new targets.

Until 2016, under the contract between NASA and SpaceX, 12 Dragon cargo flights will be carried out to the ISS. By that time, the development of a manned version of the ship will be completed. Due to its size, the manned version of the Dragon spacecraft will be able to deliver 7 people or 4 people plus two and a half tons of cargo into orbit. There are at least four more years left before testing the manned version of the Dragon, and SpaceX management is already making plans for it. Thus, the chief designer and part-time founding father of Space-X, E. Musk, gives very remarkable figures. According to his calculations, delivering one astronaut into orbit will cost a little more than $20 million. For comparison, the last space tourist G. Laliberté paid 35 million for his trip, and NASA currently pays about 60 million for the ascent and descent of each astronaut. Obviously, the Dragon project is worth it, if, of course, the promised 20 million per astronaut is true.

The possible great prospects of the Dragon are a cause for concern for Roscosmos workers. The commercial project of SpaceX in the future may become a real competitor for the Russian Soyuz, primarily in economic terms. Meanwhile, the Soyuz family of spacecraft is about to be replenished with another modification, this time the latest. Soyuz TMA-MS is planned to be put into operation next year. The TMA-MS variant will be used for the next five to six years, and then it will be replaced by the Advanced Manned Transport System (PPTS). The new ship is already being developed and in the summer of 2012 the project will be submitted for technical examination. The first test flight of the PPTS will be carried out in 2015, and by the 18th the ship will be put into operation. According to available data, the PPTS will be able to deliver 6 crew members or two tons of cargo into orbit. Due to the modular design and reusable descent vehicles, the cost of operating the PPTS will be significantly lower compared to the latest Soyuz versions.

As we see, the current unique monopoly of Russian ships may be destroyed in the coming years. True, it is not yet clear how exactly it will be shaken. In addition, not much time will pass between the planned start of Dragon operation with astronauts on board and the first manned flight of the PTS. Therefore, any situation can arise. Finally, SpaceX is a private organization and, as a result, in the event of any serious problems of financial or other nature, it is unlikely to be able to count on government support, especially in light of the existence of competing companies with similar projects. At the moment, only one thing can be stated with sufficient confidence: a new “space race” is planned. Taking into account the fact that more and more countries are showing their interest in space, each new ship will be required to be better than its competitors.

Based on materials from sites:
http://kp.ru/
http://spacex.com/
http://spaceref.com/
http://federalspace.ru/

TASS DOSSIER. On August 14, 2017, the American company SpaceX launched from the Space Center. John F. Kennedy (Florida) Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The Dragon spacecraft was launched into orbit with the 12th operational mission to the International Space Station (ISS). There are 2.91 tons of various cargo on board the ship.

Dragon is an American private reusable spacecraft. Currently, a cargo version of the ship is in operation, which is used to supply the ISS.

Project history

The developer and manufacturer of Dragon is SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies, Hawthorne, California), which was founded in 2002 by Canadian-American engineer, billionaire Elon Musk.

From the very beginning, the project involved the creation of a ship to deliver crews into low-Earth orbit and return them to Earth. On June 2, 2005, SpaceX announced that it had signed an agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop a crewed vehicle. To test the technology, a cargo version of the Dragon was created.

In August 2006, the company was selected by NASA for demonstration flights to the ISS for the delivery and return of cargo. According to the agreement, SpaceX was to carry out three Dragon launches using its Falcon 9 launch vehicle (planned for 2008-2009). And in December 2008, NASA signed a contract with the company for 12 Dragon flights with cargo for the ISS in the amount of $1.6 billion (if additional flights were ordered, the total contract amount would be increased to $3.1 billion). Subsequently, an agreement was reached to increase flights from 12 to 20.

On May 30, 2014, the company introduced the manned version of the Dragon v2 ship (another name: Crew Dragon). The first unmanned demonstration flight of Dragon v2 is scheduled for November 2017, with a crew on board - for May 2018). In September of that year, NASA and SpaceX signed a $2.6 billion contract to complete development of Dragon v2 and certify it for flight to the ISS. And in November and December 2015, contracts were signed for the flight of two manned spacecraft to the ISS.

On April 27, 2016, SpaceX announced that it plans to send an unmanned Red Dragon spacecraft to Mars. The launch is scheduled for 2020 (previously considered 2018) and will be carried out by the new Falcon Heavy rocket.

In addition, Dragon can be used for autonomous flights as a scientific laboratory - in the DragonLab version.

Characteristics

Dragon is a capsule ship. Structurally, it consists of three main elements: the nose part (separated during launch into orbit), a sealed module with a volume of 11 cubic meters. m (returnable part) and an unpressurized cargo compartment of 14 cubic meters. m (separated upon return to Earth before entering the atmosphere). Solar batteries (power - 1.5-2 kilowatts) are located outside the leaky compartment.

The return module is designed for cargo requiring sealed transportation (in the Dragon v2 version - for crew members); it also houses a service compartment with a control system, fuel tanks, and propulsion system. SpaceX's 18 Draco engines run on monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.

Docking with the ISS is carried out by capturing the ship with the Canadarm2 manipulator ("Canadarm2"), which is controlled by station crew members. The return to Earth is carried out during a controlled parachute descent into the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The maximum height of the spacecraft is 7.2 m, the maximum diameter is 3.7 m, the mass (without fuel) is 4.2 tons, and the duration of operation in orbit is up to two years. It can deliver cargo into orbit with a total weight of up to 6 tons and a volume of up to 25 cubic meters. m, return to Earth - up to 3 tons (11 cubic meters).

Launches and incidents

Dragon launches are carried out on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Space Center. John F. Kennedy (located on Merritt Island northwest of Cape Canaveral). The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station site was previously used, but was destroyed due to a missile explosion on September 1, 2016.

The first test flight of the ship took place on December 8, 2010. During the second test flight, May 22-31, 2012, Dragon docked with the ISS for the first time (it was part of it from May 25 to 31). It became the first private spacecraft to dock with the station. The first commercial flight to the ISS was carried out on October 8-28, 2012: Dragon delivered food, clothing, equipment to the station, and returned the results of experiments conducted on the ISS to Earth.

The June 28, 2015 launch of Dragon on its seventh mission to the ISS ended in an accident. The Falcon 9 rocket exploded 139 seconds into its flight, causing debris to fall into the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was supposed to deliver about 2 tons of various cargo to the station, including a new IDA docking station (International Docking Adapter; manufactured by Boeing) for the modernization of the American segment of the ISS.

In total, by August 14, 2017, 13 spacecraft launches were carried out - 12 successful and one emergency. Of these, two are test and 11 are working (under the ISS program).

The previous launch of Dragon took place on June 4, 2017 at 00:08 Moscow time, the return capsule of the ship was reused for the first time (it took part in the flight in September - October 2014). On June 5, the ship with 2.7 tons of various cargo docked to the ISS and stayed with the station for almost a month. Dragon was undocked from the ISS on July 3 at 09:41 Moscow time and on the same day its return capsule successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. 1.9 tons of cargo were returned to Earth from the ISS, mainly the results of scientific experiments and samples of technological developments.