Names | SpX-30 |
---|---|
Mission type | ISS resupply |
Operator | SpaceX |
COSPAR ID | 2023-173A |
SATCAT no. | 58255 |
Mission duration | 42 days, 16 hours, 5 minutes |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Cargo Dragon C211 |
Spacecraft type | Cargo Dragon |
Manufacturer | SpaceX |
Dry mass | 9,525 kg (20,999 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 10 November 2023, 01:28 UTC (9 November, 8:28 pm EST) [1] |
Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1081.2) |
Launch site | Kennedy, LC‑39A |
End of mission | |
Recovered by | MV Shannon |
Landing date | 22 December 2023, 17:33 UTC (12:33 pm EST) |
Landing site | Gulf of Mexico, near Tallahassee, Florida |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Inclination | 51.66° |
Docking with ISS | |
Docking port | Harmony forward |
Docking date | 11 November 2023, 10:07 UTC |
Undocking date | 21 December 2023, 22:05 UTC |
Time docked | 40 days, 11 hours, 58 minutes |
Cargo | |
Mass | 2,950 kg (6,500 lb) |
Pressurised | 2,381 kg (5,249 lb) |
Unpressurised | 569 kg (1,254 lb) |
Mission patch |
SpaceX CRS-29, also known as SpX-29, is a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched on 10 November 2023. [2] The mission was contracted by NASA and flown by SpaceX using Cargo Dragon C211. It was the ninth flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2. [3]
SpaceX plans to reuse the Cargo Dragons up to five times. The Cargo Dragon will launch without SuperDraco abort engines, without seats, cockpit controls and the life support system required to sustain astronauts in space. [4] [5] Dragon 2 improves on Dragon 1 in several ways, including lessened refurbishment time, leading to shorter periods between flights. [6]
The new Cargo Dragon capsules under the NASA CRS Phase 2 contract will land east of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. [4] [6]
NASA and SpaceX originally targeted a window no earlier than 03:01 UTC on Sunday, November 6, 2024, for the launch of the company's 29th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. The date shift takes into account required time for teams to complete pad readiness after the agency's Psyche launch on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, which lifted off on October 13 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. [7] Falcon 9 and the Cargo Dragon spacecraft lifted off on 10 November 2023 at 01:28:14 UTC from Launch Complex 39A. The first stage separated at T+2:21, and Falcon 9 landed at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at T+7:36. The second stage shut down at T+8:33, and the Dragon spacecraft separated from the second stage at T+11:46.
The Cargo Dragon spacecraft was loaded with a total of 2,950 kilograms (6,500 lb) of cargo and supplies before its launch, including 2,381 kilograms (5,249 lb) of pressurized and 561 kilograms (1,237 lb) of unpressurized cargo.
The cargo manifest is broken down as follows: [1]
Various experiments were transported to the orbiting laboratory, providing valuable insights for researchers.
The research includes work to understand interactions between weather on Earth and space, and laser communications. NASA's Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) will study atmospheric gravity waves –powerful waves formed by weather disturbances on Earth such as strong thunderstorms or brewing hurricanes – to understand the flow of energy through Earth's upper atmosphere and space. Another experiment – Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low-Earth-Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal – (ILLUMA-T) aims to test high data rate laser communications from the space station to Earth. This will complete NASA's first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system by sending high-resolution data to the agency's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, which launched in December 2021. [8] [9] It will be tested for six months on ISS, before being placed into operational use. [10]
Other investigations that will launch with the resupply mission include ESA's (European Space Agency) Aquamembrane-3, which will test water filtration using proteins found in nature for water recycling and recovery, and Plant Habitat-06, which will evaluate the effects of spaceflight on plant defense responses using multiple genotypes of tomato. [8]
Redwire will be launching microgravity research payloads focused on pharmaceutical drug development and regenerative medicine, including an experiment in bioprinting cardiac tissue. [11]
SpaceX CRS-9, also known as SpX-9, is a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station which launched on 18 July 2016. The mission was contracted by NASA and is operated by SpaceX using a Dragon capsule.
SpaceX CRS-10, also known as SpX-10, was a Dragon Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station (ISS) which launched on 19 February 2017. The mission was contracted by NASA as part of its Commercial Resupply Services program and was launched by SpaceX aboard the 30th flight of the Falcon 9 rocket. The mission ended on 19 March 2017 when the Dragon spacecraft left the ISS and safely returned to Earth.
SpaceX CRS-11, also known as SpX-11, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station, launched successfully on 3 June 2017. The mission was contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX. The mission utilized a Falcon 9 launch vehicle and was the first reuse of C106, a CRS Dragon cargo vessel that was previously flown on the CRS-4 mission.
SpaceX CRS-12, also known as SpX-12, was a Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station launched on 14 August 2017. The mission was contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX using a new Dragon capsule. The Falcon 9 rocket's reusable first stage performed a controlled landing on Landing Zone 1 (LZ1) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After delivering more than 2,900 kilograms (6,400 lb) of cargo, the Dragon spacecraft returned to Earth on 17 September 2017.
SpaceX CRS-13, also known as SpX-13, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station launched on 15 December 2017. The mission was contracted by NASA and is flown by SpaceX. It was the second mission to successfully reuse a Dragon capsule, previously flown on CRS-6. The first stage of the Falcon 9 Full Thrust rocket was the previously flown, "flight-proven" core from CRS-11. The first stage returned to land at Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone 1 after separation of the first and second stage.
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.
SpaceX CRS-18, also known as SpX-18, was SpaceX's 18th flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services program for NASA. It was launched on 25 July 2019 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
SpaceX CRS-19, also known as SpX-19, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station. The mission is contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX on a Falcon 9 rocket.
NG-13, previously known as OA-13, was the fourteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its thirteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 15 February 2020 at 20:21:01 UTC after nearly a week of delays. This is the second launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
SpaceX CRS-21, also known as SpX-21, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station which launched on 6 December 2020. The mission was contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX using a Cargo Dragon 2. This was the first flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2 contract awarded in January 2016. This was also the first Cargo Dragon of the new Dragon 2 variant, as well as the first Cargo Dragon flight that was docked at the same time as a Crew Dragon spacecraft. This mission used Booster B1058.4, becoming the first NASA mission to reuse a booster previously used on a non-NASA mission. This was also first time SpaceX launched a NASA payload on a booster with more than one previous flight.
SpaceX CRS-22, also known as SpX-22, was a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched at 17:29:15 UTC on 3 June 2021. The mission is contracted by NASA and is flown by SpaceX using a Cargo Dragon 2. This is the second flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2 contract awarded in January 2016.
Cygnus NG-15, previously known as OA-15, was the fifteenth launch of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fourteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 20 February 2021 at 17:36:50 UTC. This is the fourth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
SpaceX CRS-23, also known as SpX-23, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station, successfully launched on 29 August 2021 and docking the following day. The mission was contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX using the Cargo Dragon C208. This was the third flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2 contract awarded in January 2016. It was the second mission for this reusable capsule.
SpaceX CRS-24, also known as SpX-24, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station launched on 21 December 2021, at 10:07:08 UTC. The mission is contracted by NASA and is flown by SpaceX using a Cargo Dragon. This is the fourth flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2 contract awarded in January 2016.
SpaceX CRS-25, also known as SpX-25, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission (CRS) to the International Space Station (ISS) that was launched on 15 July 2022. The mission was contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX using their reusable spacecraft, the Cargo Dragon. The vehicle delivered supplies to the crew aboard the ISS along with multiple pieces of equipment that will be used to conduct multiple research investigations aboard the ISS.
NG-18 was the eighteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its seventeenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission successfully launched on 7 November 2022 at 10:32:42 UTC. This was the seventh launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
NG-19 was the nineteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its eighteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 2 August 2023 at 00:31:14 UTC. This was the eighth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.
SpaceX CRS-27, also known as SpX-27, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched on 15 March 2023. The mission was contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX using Cargo Dragon C209. This was the seventh flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2.
SpaceX CRS-28, also known as SpX-28, is a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched on 5 June 2023. The mission was contracted by NASA and flown by SpaceX using Cargo Dragon ship C208. It was the eighth flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2.
SpaceX CRS-30, sometimes identified by NASA as SpX-30, was an American cargo spacecraft flight to the International Space Station (ISS), that launched on 21 March 2024. It was operated by SpaceX under a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The spacecraft is a Cargo Dragon, serial number C209, which made its fourth flight on this mission. This mission was the first Cargo Dragon to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 since the second generation capsule was introduced on the SpaceX CRS-21 mission. In that time, a tower and access arm were added to the pad, allowing late loading of supplies into the spacecraft.