NASA launched another cargo ship to the International Space Station early Monday morning.
At 4:15 a.m. ET, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft lifted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The craft, known as Commercial Resupply Services 32 (CRS-32), delivered about 6,700 pounds of cargo and scientific equipment as part of SpaceX's 32nd commercial resupply mission for NASA.
Dragon separated from the rocket's second stage about nine minutes after liftoff, opened its nose cone and performed a series of engine maneuvers to reach the ISS.
If all goes well, Dragon should arrive at the ISS at 8:20 a.m. Tuesday and then dock with the Harmony module's zenith port, which faces space. NASA will broadcast the docking live starting at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday.
The next Cargo Dragon, mission CRS-33, is scheduled to launch this summer. It will remain on the ISS for some time to test technologies related to the American Deorbit Vehicle, a SpaceX craft that is expected to be able to safely return the ISS to Earth after its mission ends in 2031.
Monday's CRS-32 mission was the fifth flight of Cargo Dragon C209, one of three cargo ships in SpaceX's fleet. Previous flights include CRS-22, 24, 27 and 30. Walker noted that the mission will be the first to use “advanced” drag chutes when the capsule returns to Earth in about a month.
Monday's launch comes after an incident in January when Northrop Grumman's Cygnus NG-22 cargo mission to the ISS suffered a pressure vessel failure and was forced to abort the mission entirely. That mission was scheduled to deliver more than 8,000 pounds of supplies and cargo, but the next NG delivery will not occur until September.
The station’s supply needs have faced other challenges, including delays for Sierra Space’s Dream Catcher, a cargo module that is more than a year behind schedule. Dream Catcher, which can carry 11,000 pounds of cargo and 1,100 pounds of unpressurized equipment, is now scheduled to fly in the fall along with Japan’s HTV-X cargo ship.
NASA has not yet decided whether the next flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule will be uncrewed.
Sourse: www.upi.com
