Elon Musk's SpaceX launched the dragon cargo capsule to space station in another landmark feat
HongKong - September 8, 2021 /MarketersMEDIA/ —
SpaceX has taken another step towards achieving its goal of providing fast broadband internet to as many people as possible worldwide following the launch of its 21st rocket of the year today on August 29, sending a robotic Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station (ISS) before nailing a landing at sea.
A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket took off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 3:14 a.m. EDT (0714 GMT), kicking off SpaceX’s 23rd cargo resupply mission to the orbiting lab for NASA. The Dragon has over 4,800 pounds (2,200 kilograms) of supplies, scientific experiments, and hardware, including a new robotic arm to be tested inside the space station's Bishop Airlock.
The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth a few minutes after liftoff, landing on one of SpaceX's drone ships in the Atlantic Ocean in a smooth touchdown. Tagged "A Shortfall of Gravitas," the ship is the newest of three drone ships in the company's fleet of recovery vessels that catch falling boosters and return them to port for later reuse.
"That is the 90th successful landing of an orbital class rocket and the very first for our newest drone ship, 'A Shortfall of Gravitas,'" Andy Tran of SpaceX said during a webcast of this morning's launch. "What a great way to start today's mission."
There is also another SpaceX vehicle at the orbiting lab: the Crew Dragon "Endeavour," which launched on April 23, with a crew of four astronauts on board. It is worth noting that this is not the first time that two Dragons have been parked at the same time, with at least one Dragon docked to the space station every day so far in 2021.
Weather officials at the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron predicted iffy weather for the mission’s first launch attempt, scheduled for August 28. However, poor weather at the launch site prompted a 24-hour delay, with the forecast improving dramatically overnight, allowing Falcon 9 to get off the ground as expected.
The launcher now has four missions under its belt, after lofting its third Dragon spacecraft, with the most recent landing marking the 90th recovery of a Falcon first stage since SpaceX recovered its first booster in 2015.
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