SpaceX CRS-14 explained

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SpaceX CRS-14
Names List:SpX-14
Mission Type:ISS resupply
Operator:SpaceX
Spacecraft:[1]
Spacecraft Type:Dragon 1
Manufacturer:SpaceX
Dry Mass:4200kg (9,300lb)
Dimensions:Height:
Diameter:
Launch Date: UTC
Launch Rocket:Falcon 9 Full Thrust Block 4 (B1039)
Launch Site:Cape Canaveral, SLC-40
Launch Contractor:SpaceX
Disposal Type:Recovered
Landing Date: UTC[2]
Landing Site:Pacific Ocean off Baja California
Orbit Reference:Geocentric
Orbit Regime:Low Earth
Orbit Inclination:51.6°
Apsis:gee
Docking:
Docking Type:berth
Docking Port:Harmony nadir
Capture Date:4 April 2018, 10:40 UTC[3]
Docking Date:4 April 2018, 13:00 UTC
Undocking Date:5 May 2018, ≈05:30[4]
Release Date:5 May 2018, 13:23 UTC[5]
Time Docked:
Cargo Mass:26470NaN0[6]
Cargo Mass Press:17210NaN0
Cargo Mass Unpress:9260NaN0
Insignia:SpaceX CRS-14 Patch.png
Insignia Caption:NASA SpX-14 mission patch
Programme:Commercial Resupply Services
Previous Mission:SpaceX CRS-13
Next Mission:OA-9E
Programme2:Cargo Dragon
Previous Mission2:SpaceX CRS-13
Next Mission2:SpaceX CRS-15

SpaceX CRS-14, also known as SpX-14, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station launched on 2 April 2018. The mission was contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX. This mission reused the Falcon 9 first stage booster previously flown on CRS-12 and the Dragon capsule flown on CRS-8.

Mission overview

In early 2015, NASA awarded a contract extension to SpaceX for three additional CRS missions (CRS-13 to CRS-15).[7] In June 2016, a NASA Inspector General report had this mission manifested for February 2018.[8] The flight was then delayed to 9 February and 13 March 2018.[9]

Launch occurred on 2 April 2018 at 20:30 UTC on a Falcon 9 Full Thrust rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.[10] The Dragon spacecraft rendezvoused with the ISS on 4 April; it was captured by Canadarm2 at 10:40 UTC and was berthed to the Harmony module at 13:00 UTC. It remained there for just under 31 days before being unberthed by Canadarm2 on 5 May 2018, scheduled for 05:30 UTC. The spacecraft was released at 13:23 UTC and autonomously backed away from the station to a safe distance before firing its thrusters for a deorbit burn at 18:06 UTC. Dragon splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 19:03 UTC to be retrieved by a SpaceX recovery crew and transported to the Port of Los Angeles, returning 17430NaN0 of cargo to Earth.

No attempt was made to recover the first stage booster; instead, the booster was used to conduct experimental maneuvers designed to test the limits of its flight trajectory.

Payload

NASA contracted for the CRS-14 mission from SpaceX and therefore determined the primary payload, date/time of launch, and orbital parameters for the Dragon space capsule. CRS-14 carried a total of 26470NaN0 of material into orbit. This includes 17210NaN0 of pressurised cargo with packaging bound for the International Space Station, and 9260NaN0 of unpressurised cargo. The unpressurised component is composed of two external station experiments, Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) and Materials ISS Experiment Flight Facility (MISSE-FF), and a Pump and Flow Control Subassembly (PFCS) orbital replacement unit for the station.

Multiple payloads from national labs are also included,[11] one of which is the RemoveDEBRIS mission which will be deployed from the ISS. The mission aims to test a harpoon and a net on test debris that the mission carries to evaluate the viability of these methods to be used in future missions to remove real space debris. At the end of the mission the RemoveDEBRIS spacecraft will deploy a large dragsail to accelerate its own deorbit to avoid becoming space debris itself.[12] HP was also contracted by NASA to install a new inkjet printer for the US lab.[13] [14]

The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Falcon 9 set for CRS-14 mission completes Static Fire testing . NASASpaceFlight.com . Chris . Bergin . 28 March 2018 . 4 April 2018.
  2. News: SpaceX Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth from Space Station . Space.com . Tariq . Malik . 5 May 2018 . 17 May 2018.
  3. News: Dragon cargo capsule reaches space station for second time . Spaceflight Now . Stephen . Clark . 4 April 2018 . 4 April 2018.
  4. Web site: SpaceX CRS-14 Dragon Departure From ISS, May 5, 2018, Earth orbit, NASA TV coverage begins 9:00 am ET . SpacePolicyOnline.com . 1 May 2018 . 30 November 2020.
  5. News: Reused Dragon cargo carrier splashes down in Pacific Ocean . Spaceflight Now . Stephen . Clark . 5 May 2018 . 17 May 2018.
  6. Web site: Overview: SpaceX CRS-14 Mission . NASA . 4 April 2018.
  7. News: SpaceX wins 5 new space station cargo missions in NASA contract estimated at $700 million . . de Selding . Peter B. . 24 February 2016 . 24 February 2016.
  8. NASA's Response to SpaceX's June 2015 Launch Failure: Impacts on Commercial Resupply of the International Space Station . NASA Office of Inspector General . Report No. IG-16-025 . 13 . 28 June 2016 . 18 July 2016.
  9. Web site: Launch Log . Spaceflight Now . Clark . Stephen . 2 April 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180405051630/https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-log/ . 5 April 2018.
  10. News: CRS-14: SpaceX Falcon 9 conducts second flight with previously flown Dragon . NASASpaceFlight.com . William . Graham . 2 April 2018 . 4 April 2018.
  11. News: Dragon Mission to Carry CASIS-Sponsored Experiments to Space Station . Parabolic Arc . Doug . Messier . 22 March 2018 . 4 April 2018.
  12. News: Space junk demo mission launches . BBC News . Jonathan . Amos . 2 April 2018 . 3 April 2018.
  13. News: The International Space Station is getting a new printer . TechCrunch . Brian . Heater . 2 April 2018 . 4 April 2018.
  14. News: The ISS will replace its 17-year-old printer this week . Engadget . Swapna . Krishna . 2 April 2018 . 4 April 2018.