SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch robotic Dragon Cargo capsule [live stream]
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company’s robotic Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station.
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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Dragon CRS-17 mission cargo, due for the International Space Station. The mission was initially scheduled for April. It had been postponed several times due to a glitch.
SpaceX announced that the mission was postponed “due to an electrical issue”. If all goes according to plan, the rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 08:48 SAST on Saturday, 4 May.
This will mark the Falcon 9’s seventeenth mission to the International Space Station. The Dragon Cargo capsule will be carrying a resupply mission – some 5 500 pounds of cargo.
Fingers crossed that Falcon 9 gets off the ground on Saturday. It not, we can expect to view launch on 12 or 13 May. This is due to the previously planned weeklong stand-down of the Eastern Range at the Cape Canaveral centre.
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An interesting payload
One of the pieces of equipment on board will be the Photobioreactor. It will be used to test the cultivation of micro-algae to serve as a source of both food and oxygen on the International Space Station.
In addition, the cargo will also contain lung and bone marrow chips, cartilage and bone chips, and a chip that simulates the blood-brain barrier. Astronauts will use it to monitor the reaction of simulated organs in space.
Finally, the capsule also contains the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 instrument. It will be attached to the ISS’s exterior by means of a robotic arm.
Amy Thompson from Space.com reports that scientists will use it to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide, as well as map sources and sinks of the gas.
Falcon 9 rocket: Stats for nerds
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The Falcon 9 rocket has in been commission since 2012, and is the Falcon Heavy’s predecessor. The Falcon 9 will carry approximately 53 000 kilograms of cargo into space throughout its lifetime.
The two-stage-to-orbit rocket has a mass of 541 300 kilograms. It can carry up to 22 800 kilograms of cargo in low Earth orbit, or up to 8 300 kilograms in geostationary transfer orbit.
Furthermore, the Falcon 9’s first stage has nine Merlin engines with a burn time of 162 seconds. In addition, the second stage has only one engine which ignites after stage separation. It has a burn time of 397 seconds.
Also read – SpaceX to attempt triple rocket landing with Falcon Heavy
Watch: Falcon 9 CRS-17 launch mission live stream
Take note, liftoff scheduled for 08:48 South African Standard Time (SAST) on Saturday 4 May.
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