SpaceX CRS-11

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.

"CRS-11" redirects here. For the Northrop Grumman CRS-11 mission, see Cygnus NG-11.
SpaceX CRS-11
CRS-11 SpaceX Dragon C106 on approach to the ISS
NamesSpX-11
Mission typeISS Resupply
OperatorSpaceX
COSPAR ID2017-030A
SATCAT no.42744
Mission duration29 days, 15 hours, 4 minutes (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftDragon C106.2
Spacecraft typeCRS Dragon
ManufacturerSpaceX
Dry mass4,200 kg (9,300 lb)
DimensionsHeight: 6.1 m (20 ft)
Diameter: 3.7 m (12 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date3 June 2017, 21:07:38 UTC[1]
RocketFalcon 9 Full Thrust, B1035.1
Launch siteKennedy Space Center, LC-39A
ContractorSpaceX
End of mission
Recovered byGO Searcher (Shannon)
Landing date3 July 2017, 12:12 UTC [2]
Landing sitePacific Ocean,
off Baja California
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Berthing at International Space Station
Berthing portHarmony nadir[1]
RMS capture5 June 2017, 13:52 UTC [3]
Berthing date5 June 2017, 16:07 UTC [4]
Unberthing date2 July 2017, ≈18:00 UTC [5]
RMS release3 July 2017, 06:41 UTC [2]
Time berthed27 days, 1 hour, 53 minutes
Cargo
Mass2,708 kg (5,970 lb) [6]
Pressurised1,665 kg (3,671 lb)
Unpressurised1,002 kg (2,209 lb)

SpaceX CRS-11 mission patch
 

CRS-11 was the penultimate of the first twelve missions awarded to SpaceX under the Commercial Resupply Services contract to resupply the International Space Station.

Rocket and spacecraft
Launch of the CRS-11 mission

The CRS-11 mission was the first time that a Dragon spacecraft has been reused, helping SpaceX to scale back its production line and shift focus to Dragon 2.[7]

CRS-11 launched aboard a Falcon 9 launch vehicle on 3 June 2017 at 21:07:38 UTC from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A).[1] The spacecraft rendezvoused with the station on 5 June 2017 and conducted a series of orbit adjustment burns to match speed, altitude, and orientation with the ISS. After arriving at the capture point at 13:37 UTC, the vehicle was snared at 13:52 UTC by the Canadarm2, operated by Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer.[8] It was berthed to the Harmony module at 16:07 UTC.[4]

The Falcon 9 first stage landed successfully on Landing Zone 1, making it the fifth successful touch down on land and the 11th overall.[9]

The CRS-11 Dragon remained attached to the ISS for just over 27 days. Having been filled with around 2,708 kg (5,970 lb) of cargo,[10] Dragon was unberthed from the station on 2 July 2017 at approximately 18:00 UTC.[5] It was moved to its release position by Canadarm2, but poor sea conditions forced a delay to the following day.[11] On 3 July 2017, at 06:41 UTC, crew members commanded Canadarm2 to release Dragon, and soon after the spacecraft began a series of thruster firings to move it away from the station.[11] About five hours after departing from ISS, Dragon closed its guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) bay door and conducted a 10-minute deorbit burn. Immediately after, the spacecraft jettisoned its cargo trunk and oriented itself for reentry. Dragon splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Baja California at 12:12 UTC.[2]

Payload

NASA has contracted for the CRS-11 mission from SpaceX and therefore determines the primary payload, date/time of launch, and orbital parameters for the Dragon space capsule. CRS-11 carried a total of 2,708 kg (5,970 lb) of material into orbit. This included 1,665 kg (3,671 lb) of pressurised cargo with packaging bound for the International Space Station, and 1,002 kg (2,209 lb) of unpressurised cargo composed of three external station experiments: Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), MUSES and Roll Out Solar Array (ROSA).[6][12]

The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:[6]

  • Science investigations: 1,069 kg (2,357 lb)
    • Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) - a NASA- and ORBITEC-developed payload built in Madison, Wisconsin. APH is a fully automated facility that is used to conduct plant bioscience research on the ISS.[13][14]
  • Crew supplies: 242 kg (534 lb)
  • Vehicle hardware: 199 kg (439 lb)
  • Spacewalk equipment: 56 kg (123 lb)
  • Computer resources: 27 kg (60 lb)
  • External payloads:

A constellation of five CubeSats was also carried on the mission as part of Birds-1, one each from the countries of Japan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Mongolia. The satellites from Bangladesh (BRAC ONNESHA), Ghana (GhanaSat-1), and Mongolia (Mazaalai) were those countries' first satellites in space.[15]

SpaceX CRS-11
  • Launch of CRS-11
    Launch of CRS-11
  • Falcon 9 landing on LZ-1
    Falcon 9 landing on LZ-1
  • Dragon grappled by the ISS
    Dragon grappled by the ISS
  • Dragon after landing and recovery
    Dragon after landing and recovery

See also

References
  1. Clark, Stephen (3 June 2017). "Reused Dragon cargo capsule launched on journey to space station". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  2. Richardson, Derek (3 July 2017). "Dragon splashes down in Pacific with time-critical experiments". Spaceflight Insider. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  3. Clark, Stephen (5 June 2017). "Dragon supply ship delivers to space station for second time". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  4. Garcia, Mark (5 June 2017). "Dragon Attached to Station for Cargo Transfers". NASA. Retrieved 5 June 2017. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. McDowell, Jonathan (2 July 2017). "The Space Report". No. 739. Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  6. "SpaceX CRS-11 Mission Overview" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 3 June 2017. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. Foust, Jeff (14 October 2016). "SpaceX to reuse Dragon capsules on cargo missions". SpaceNews.
  8. Gebhardt, Chris (5 June 2017). "SpaceX's CRS-11 Dragon captured by Station for a second time". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  9. O'Kane, Sean (6 June 2017). "Watch SpaceX's most recent beachside rocket landing in 4K". The Verge.
  10. Clark, Stephen (3 July 2017). "Live coverage: SpaceX's Dragon supply ship ends month-long mission". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  11. Gebhardt, Chris (3 July 2017). "Reused Dragon returns to Earth after month-long science bonanza". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  12. Clark, Stephen (3 June 2017). "Cargo manifest for SpaceX's 11th resupply mission to the space station". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  13. Philman, Amber N.; Griffin, Amanda; Hambleton, Kathryn (25 May 2017). "SpaceX CRS-11 Briefings and Events". NASA. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  14. "Advanced Plant Habitat (Plant Habitat)". NASA. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  15. "BIRDS-1 constellation of five CubeSats deployed". AMSAT UK. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.

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