Last night, SpaceX launched more than 1,000 pounds of supplies bound for the International Space Station on the first of 12 missions in its 1.6 billion USD contract with NASA. The Dragon capsule, propelled by a Falcone9 rocket, will join up with the station in three days bringing clothing, equipment and more science experiments.
UPDATE: Ars Technica is now reporting that one of the nine rockets on the Falcon 9 may have exploded before reaching orbit. Follow that story HERE.
MORE: SpaceX: To infinity and beyond, or at least the International Space Station for now
SpaceX hurtles toward space station as NASA dreams big
Amy Hubbard | LA Times
October 8, 2012, 7:00 a.m.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft was successfully launched Sunday, and by Wednesday morning the International Space Station crew should be greeting it with open arms.
NASA’s Sunita Williams, ISS commander, and Japanese colleague Aki Hoshide will stretch out the station’s robotic arm to install the Dragon on Wednesday at 4:22 a.m. (7:22 a.m. Eastern), according to NASA. The Dragon will be attached to the station for 18 days before heading back to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific off Southern California.
There was a sense of euphoria at NASA and SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corp., with the kickoff of a mission that inaugurates a new era for NASA — one in which private companies resupply the station by contract with NASA.
.gif)
