After a day's delay due to upper level winds
, SPACEX falcon 9 took off from Kennedy Space
Centet today on a mission to resupply the
ISS.
This will be the third launch of the Dragon
capsule - having previously flown on CRS-04
and CRS-11 missions.
It is believed that this current iteration
of Dragon will be replaced in the new year
by the new, upgraded DRAGON 2 which will also
be used to carry astronauts to the station
from the US.
As well as crew supplies the Dragon is also
taking with it a number of science experients
as well spacewalk equipment and hardware for
the ISS.
The Dragon will stay at the space station
until January then it will return to earth
with some 3,600 of return cargo.
This mission will also see the return and
landing of the Falcon 9 first stage - but
today, rather than return to Cape Canaveral,
the booster will instead land on the SpaceX
Droneship OF COURSE I STILL LOVE YOU which
will be about 350 km downrage.
This is because Spacex will be performing
a six hour coast of the upper stage.
This "thermal test" as they describe it means
that more fuel will be needed for this stage
and therefore will mean the first stage booster
will be unable to return directly to its Florida
home.
SpaceX have said that the test on the upper
stage is the requirement of "other customers"
- it is specualated that this is the US air
force , although the company won't confirm
this.
This was the 10th Falcon 9 launch of 2019
- the next launch may happen later this month
with another batch of its Starlink broadband
satellites.
