Crew Dragon Resilience Explained

Crew Dragon Resilience
Type:Space capsule
Class:Dragon 2
Serial:C207
Owner:SpaceX
Manufacturer:SpaceX
Dimensions:4.4mx3.7mm (14.4feetx12.1feetm)
Power:Solar panel
Rocket:Falcon 9 Block 5
Location:Hawthorne, California
First Flight Date:16 November 2020–2 May 2021
First Flight:SpaceX Crew-1
Last Flight Date:10-15 September 2024
Last Flight:Polaris Dawn
Flights:3
Time:175 days, 3 hours, 44 minutes
Previous:Endeavour
Next:C208

Crew Dragon Resilience (serial number C207) is the second operational Crew Dragon reusable spacecraft manufactured and operated by SpaceX, after the Endurance . It first launched on 16 November 2020 to the International Space Station (ISS) on the SpaceX Crew-1 mission, the first operational flight of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. It was subsequently used for Inspiration4 in 2021, the first private spaceflight mission with an all-civilian crew, and the Polaris Dawn mission in September 2024.

History

Originally planned to fly the mission after Crew-1, Crew Dragon C207 was reassigned to fly Crew-1 after an anomaly during a static fire test destroyed capsule C204 intended to be re-flown on the Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test.[1] The spacecraft C205 intended to be used on the Demo-2 mission replaced the destroyed spacecraft for the in-flight abort test. C206 intended for use with the Crew-1 mission, was reassigned to the Demo-2 mission.

On 1 May 2020, SpaceX said that spacecraft C207 was in production and astronaut training underway.[2] Crew Dragon C207 arrived at SpaceX processing facilities in Florida on 18 August 2020.[3] [4]

At a NASA press conference on 29 September 2020, commander Michael Hopkins revealed that C207 had been named Resilience.[5] The trunk was attached and secured to the capsule on 2 October 2020 at Cape Canaveral.[6]

Resilience was first launched on 16 November 2020 (UTC) on a Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), LC-39A, carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi on a six-month mission to the International Space Station.[7]

The docking adapter, normally used to dock with the International Space Station, was replaced by a domed glass window for the Inspiration4 mission. This allows for 360-degree views of space and the Earth, similar to those provided by the Cupola Module on the ISS.[8]

For Polaris Dawn mission, as Crew Dragon capsules lack an airlock, several modifications have been made to the interior of Resilience. Extra nitrogen and oxygen tanks have been installed, a hatch with a ladder called the "skywalker" has replaced the docking port, and the forward hatch has been motorized. To validate their procedures, Resilience underwent multiple cycles of venting and repressurization in a large vacuum chamber. The crew also spent two days in a chamber validating their pre-breathing protocol and wearing their EVA suits in a vacuum.The mission will also be the first crewed operational test of Dragon laser interlink communication via Starlink. If successful, it would potentially decrease communication latency and increase data bandwidth for human spaceflight.[9]

Flights

List includes only completed or currently manifested missions. Dates are listed in UTC, and for future events, they are the earliest possible opportunities (also known as dates) and may change.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NASA briefly updates status of Crew Dragon anomaly, SpaceX test schedule. Gebhardt. Christ. NASASpaceFlight.com. 29 May 2019. 11 June 2020.
  2. Once Demo-2 is complete, and the SpaceX and NASA teams have reviewed all the data for certification, SpaceX will launch Crew Dragon's first six-month operational mission (Crew-1) later this year. The Crew-1 spacecraft is in production and astronaut training is well underway. 1256251100782448640 . SpaceX. 1 May 2020. 11 June 2020.
  3. Web site: SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule arrives in Florida for next NASA astronaut launch. teslarati.com. Groh, Jamie. Teslarati. 23 August 2020. 24 August 2020.
  4. Web site: Preparations Continue for SpaceX First Operational Flight with Astronauts . Sempsrott, Danielle. blogs.nasa.gov. NASA. 21 August 2020. 24 August 2020.
  5. 1311004705108172802. ChrisG_NSF. Crew-1 has named their Dragon.... 29 September 2020.
  6. Web site: NASA, SpaceX Crew-1 Launch Update. blogs.nasa.gov. 10 October 2020 . NASA. 10 October 2020.
  7. News: Corbett. Tobias. Barker. Nathan. With Resilience, NASA and SpaceX begin operational Commercial Crew flights. NASASpaceFlight.com. 15 November 2020.
  8. News: SpaceX's Dragon spaceship is getting the ultimate window for private Inspiration4 spaceflight . Howell. Elizabeth . space.com . 30 March 2021 . 8 July 2021 .
  9. Web site: 17 February 2022 . Starlink expanding, coming to Dragon capsule on Polaris Dawn, but NASA has concerns about the constellation . 18 February 2022 . Space Explored . en-US . 17 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220217211623/https://spaceexplored.com/2022/02/17/starlink-expanding-coming-to-dragon-capsule-on-polaris-dawn-but-nasa-has-concerns-about-the-constellation/ . live .
  10. Web site: Second phasing burn complete. https://web.archive.org/web/20210916035116/https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1438336379830915072. live. Twitter. 16 September 2021. 2021-09-16.
  11. Web site: Berger . Eric . Eric Berger (journalist) . 2024-08-12 . SpaceX announces first human mission to ever fly over the planet’s poles . 2024-08-26 . Ars Technica . en-us.