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35-586: SpaceX CRS-6 , also known as SpX-6 , was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station , contracted to NASA . It was the eighth flight for SpaceX 's uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft and the sixth SpaceX operational mission contracted to NASA under a Commercial Resupply Services contract. It was docked to the International Space Station from 17 April to 21 May 2015. In July 2014,

70-466: A Dragon capsule's ability to remain in orbit, receive and respond to ground commands, and communicate with NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System . On 15 August 2011, SpaceX announced that NASA had combined the objectives of the COTS Demo Flight 2 and following Flight 3 into a single mission. The rescoped COTS Demo Flight 2 successfully launched on 22 May 2012, delivering cargo to

105-533: A combined, not-to-exceed value of $ 14 billion. NASA officials explained that selecting three companies rather than two for CRS-2 increases cargo capabilities and ensures more redundancy in the event of a contractor failure or schedule delay. The CRS-2 flights commenced in November 2019 with the launch of Cygnus NG-12 mission. Inside-cargo is typically transported to and from the space station in "the form factor of single Cargo Transfer Bag Equivalent (CTBE) [which

140-572: A competitive range determination to remove Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Orbital ATK (later purchased by Northrop Grumman), Sierra Nevada, and SpaceX were awarded CRS-2 contracts in January 2016 with initial task orders awarded in June 2016. Each of the three companies is guaranteed at least six cargo missions under the CRS-2 contract. As of December 2017, NASA had awarded $ 2.6 billion on three contracts with

175-453: A floating platform after an earlier test landing attempt in January 2015 had to be abandoned due to weather conditions. The booster was fitted with a variety of technologies to facilitate the flight test, including grid fins and landing legs to facilitate the post-mission test. If successful, this would have been the first time in history that a launch vehicle booster was returned to a vertical landing . On 15 April 2015, SpaceX released

210-477: A much shorter chord (the distance between leading and trailing edge of the surface) than planar fins, as they are effectively a group of short fins mounted parallel to one another. Their reduced chord reduces the amount of torque exerted on the steering mechanism by high-speed airflow, allowing for the use of smaller fin actuators , and a smaller tail assembly overall. Grid fins perform very well at subsonic and supersonic speeds, but poorly at transonic speeds;

245-522: A project from Ambassador High School in Torrance, California . Dragon returned 1,370 kg (3,020 lb) of cargo to Earth . After the separation of the second stage, SpaceX conducted a flight test and attempted to return the nearly-empty first stage of the Falcon 9 through the atmosphere and land it on a 90 m × 50 m (300 ft × 160 ft) floating platform called

280-457: A result Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Northrop Grumman was left with only two remaining Antares 230+ launch vehicles which were used for the CRS NG-18 and CRS NG-19 missions. Northrop Grumman acquired three flights from SpaceX with the Falcon 9 rocket while a replacement first stage and its engine are developed for its Antares 330 rocket. Northrop Grumman plans to launch further missions using

315-1054: A video of the terminal phase of the descent, the landing, the tip over, and a small deflagration as the stage broke up on the deck of the ASDS. The Dragon capsule used for this mission was successfully flown a second time in December 2017 with SpaceX CRS-13 . The capsule made its third and final flight as part of the SpaceX CRS-18 mission on 25 July 2019. Commercial Resupply Services The first phase of CRS contracts (CRS-1) were signed in 2008 and awarded $ 1.6 billion to SpaceX for twelve Dragon 1 and $ 1.9 billion to Orbital Sciences for eight Cygnus flights, covering deliveries to 2016. The first operational resupply missions were flown by SpaceX in 2012 ( CRS SpX-1 ) and Orbital in 2014 ( CRS Orb-1 ). In 2015, NASA extended CRS-1 to twenty flights for SpaceX and twelve flights for Orbital ATK . A second phase of contracts ( CRS-2 )

350-557: Is considerably less. CRS-2 launches commenced in 2019 and will extend to at least 2024. Three more CRS-2 missions for Dragon 2 covering up to CRS-29 were announced in December 2020. When NASA issued the Commercial Resupply Services phase 2 (CRS-2) request for proposal (RFP) in September 2014, it received interest from five companies: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Orbital ATK, Sierra Nevada, and SpaceX. NASA made

385-470: Is the] unit for size of bag used to transport cargo from visiting vehicles , such as SpaceX Dragon , Northrop Grumman Cygnus , or JAXA H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV). The bags are sized at 48 cm × 41 cm × 23 cm (19 in × 16.25 in × 9 in) and limited in transport mass to 27 kg (60 lb) each. CTBE units are also used to price, and charge, commercial users of US Orbital Segment stowage space. As

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420-411: The autonomous spaceport drone ship . The unmanned launch vehicle technically landed on the floating platform, however it came down with too much lateral velocity, tipped over, and was destroyed. Elon Musk later explained that the bipropellant valve was stuck, and therefore the control system could not react rapidly enough for a successful landing. This was SpaceX's second attempt to land the booster on

455-547: The Automated Transfer Vehicle , to be jointly developed with Thales Alenia Space . Three companies were awarded contracts on January 14, 2016. Sierra Nevada Corporation 's Dream Chaser , the SpaceX Dragon 2 , and Orbital ATK Cygnus were selected, each for a minimum of six launches. The maximum potential value of all the contracts was indicated to be $ 14 billion, but the minimum value

490-749: The Vympel R-77 air-to-air missile; the 3M-54 Klub (SS-N-27 Sizzler) family of cruise missiles ; and the American Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) large-yield conventional bomb, and on specialized devices such as the Quick-MEDS delivery system and as part of the launch escape system for the Soyuz spacecraft . In 2014, SpaceX tested grid fins on a first-stage demonstration test vehicle of its reusable Falcon 9 rocket, and on December 21, 2015 they were used during

525-651: The 1950s by a team led by Sergey Belotserkovskiy  [ ru ] and used since the 1970s in various Soviet ballistic missile designs such as the SS-12 Scaleboard , SS-20 Saber , SS-21 Scarab , SS-23 Spider , and SS-25 Sickle , as well as the N-1 (the intended rocket for the Soviet moon program ). In Russia, they are thus often referred to as Belotserkovskiy grid fins. Grid fins have also been used on conventional missiles and bombs such as

560-698: The 2000s funding was authorized for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, followed by the Commercial Crew Development program. On 23 December 2008, NASA announced the initial awarding of cargo contracts - twelve flights to SpaceX and eight flights to Orbital Sciences Corporation . PlanetSpace , which was not selected, submitted a protest to the Government Accountability Office . On 22 April 2009,

595-587: The Dragon space capsule . The Dragon spacecraft was filled with 2,015 kg (4,442 lb) of supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support about 40 of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expedition 43 and Expedition 44 . Among other items on board: SpaceX has the primary control over manifesting, scheduling and loading secondary payloads . However, there are certain restrictions included in their contract with NASA that preclude specified hazards on

630-526: The Dream Chaser spaceplane itself. Boeing's proposal likewise used a cargo version of its CST-100 crew vehicle. Lockheed Martin proposed a new cargo spacecraft called Jupiter , derived from the designs of the NASA's MAVEN and Juno spacecraft. It would have included a robotic arm based on Canadarm technology and a 4.4-meter (14 ft) diameter cargo transport module called Exoliner based on

665-450: The GAO publicly released its decision to deny the protest, allowing the program to continue. The Antares and Falcon 9 launch vehicles and Cygnus and Dragon cargo spacecraft were developed using Space Act Agreements under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. The first flight contracted by NASA, COTS Demo Flight 1 , took place on 8 December 2010, demonstrating

700-717: The ISS. The spacecraft reentered on 31 May, landed in the Pacific Ocean, and was recovered, completed CRS certification requirements. Orbital Sciences first launched the Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on 21 April 2013 with a test payload. Orbital Sciences completed the Cygnus Orb-D1 demonstration flight on 29 September 2013, and the operational Cygnus CRS Orb-1

735-409: The cylindrical body of a missile more directly and compactly than planar fins, allowing for more compact storage of the weapon; this is of importance where weapons are launched from a tube or for craft which store weapons in internal bays, such as stealth aircraft . Generally, the grid fins pitch forward/backward away from the body shortly after the missile has cleared the firing craft. Grid fins have

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770-457: The design of the Falcon 9 grid fins continued into 2017. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced in early 2017 that a new version of the Falcon 9 grid fins would improve reusability for the company's vehicles. Falcon 9 Block 5 introduce new cast and cut titanium grid fins. Musk had noted the original Falcon 9 grid fins were made from aluminum . The fins experience temperatures near their maximum survivability limits during reentry and landing, and so

805-434: The first stage for controlled re-entry of the spent rocket stage away from people in nearby towns and cities. Conventional planar control fins are shaped like miniature wings . By contrast, grid fins are a lattice of smaller aerodynamic surfaces arranged within a box. Their appearance has sometimes led them to be compared to potato mashers or waffle irons . Grid fins can be folded, pitched forward (or backwards), against

840-468: The flow causes a normal shockwave to form within the lattice, causing much of the airflow to pass completely around the fin instead of through it and generating significant wave drag . At high Mach numbers , grid fins flow fully supersonic and can provide lower drag and greater maneuverability than planar fins. Grid fins are used on the Falcon 9 rocket for increased precision and accuracy in control of

875-459: The high-velocity atmospheric portion of the reentry to help guide a commercial Falcon 9 first stage back to land for the first successful orbital booster landing in spaceflight history . The 1st stage of the private Chinese company i-Space's Hyperbola-1 rocket appeared on July 25, 2019 to be equipped with steerable grid fins for attitude control. On July 25, 2019, China launched a modified version of Long March 2C which featured grid fins atop

910-486: The introduction of a larger Enhanced Cygnus, enabled Orbital ATK to cover their initial CRS contracted payload obligation by OA-7. During August 2015, Orbital ATK disclosed that they had received an extension of the resupply program for four extra missions. These flights enable NASA to cover ISS resupply needs until CRS-2 begins. NASA began a formal process to initiate Phase 2 of the Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-2, in early 2014. Later that year, an "Industry Day"

945-722: The landing location for reusable launch vehicles . It therefore helps the rocket to land on the landing pad or on the autonomous spaceport drone ship more precisely with good accuracy. The grid fin development effort is a part of the SpaceX reusable launch system development program that has been underway since 2012. The first hypersonic flight test with grid fins was in February 2015, and grid fins were subsequently used on all reusable Falcon 9 experimental test landings and, eventually, after December 2015, an increasing number of successful first stage landings and recoveries. Iteration on

980-534: The launch planning date as no earlier than 8 April 2015. The application also confirmed communication uplinks for use with the first stage of this mission as it attempted to conduct a first-ever propulsive landing on the Autonomous spaceport drone ship after staging. NASA has contracted for the CRS-6 mission from SpaceX and therefore determines the primary payload, date/time of launch, and orbital parameters for

1015-486: The launch was scheduled by NASA for February 2015, with berthing to the station occurring two days later. However, as a result of delays in the launch of the previous SpaceX CRS-5 mission, SpaceX CRS-6 launched on 14 April 2015. In late March, 2015, the launch was scheduled for 13 April 2015, but was later postponed to 14 April 2015 due to weather conditions. A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) application submitted for temporary communication frequency authority noted

1050-440: The most common cells in bones, gather new insight that could lead to treatments for osteoporosis and muscle wasting conditions, continue studies into astronaut vision changes and test a new material that could one day be used as a synthetic muscle for robotics explorers of the future. Also making the trip was a new espresso machine for space station crews. A part of this payload includes science experiments from high schools, such as

1085-497: The new Antares 300 series (Antares 330) rockets with booster stage and engines developed by Firefly Aerospace . These missions are also slated to use a new enlarged "Mission B" variant of the Cygnus spacecraft. Grid fins Grid fins (or lattice fins ) are a type of flight control surface used on rockets and bombs , sometimes in place of more conventional control surfaces, such as planar fins . They were developed in

SpaceX CRS-6 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-415: The secondary payloads, and also require contract-specified probabilities of success and safety margins for any SpaceX reboosts of the secondary satellites once the Falcon 9 second stage has achieved its initial low Earth orbit (LEO). SpaceX CRS-6 included science payloads for studying new ways to possibly counteract the microgravity-induced cell damage seen during spaceflight, the effects of microgravity on

1155-617: Was held in Houston, with seven high-level requirements disclosed to interested parties. The contracts were expected to include a variety of requirements: CRS-1 contractors Orbital Sciences and SpaceX each submitted CRS-2 proposals, joined by Sierra Nevada , Boeing , and Lockheed Martin . SNC's proposal would use a cargo version of its Dream Chaser crew vehicle, the 'Dream Chaser Cargo System'. The proposed cargo Dream Chaser included an additional expendable cargo module for uplift and trash disposal. Downmass would only be provided via

1190-454: Was launched 9 January 2014. Transport flights began under Commercial Resupply Services phase 1 (CRS-1) in 2012: Following the failure, the Antares 230 system was upgraded with newly built RD-181 first-stage engines to provide greater payload performance and increased reliability. The next two spacecraft were launched on the Atlas V . With the switch to more powerful launch vehicles and

1225-530: Was solicited in 2014. CRS-2 contracts were awarded in January 2016 to Orbital ATK’s continued use of Cygnus , Sierra Nevada Corporation ’s new Dream Chaser , and SpaceX’s new Dragon 2 , for cargo transport flights beginning in 2019 and expected to last through 2024. NASA has been directed to pursue commercial spaceflight options since at least 1984, with the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 and Launch Services Purchase Act of 1990. By

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