SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.0 - CRS-2 - Launching March 1, 2013
Screenshot from SpaceX Webcast of the launch of CRS-2
Mission Rundown: SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.0 - CRS-2
Written: February 6, 2021
One more time above and beyond?
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX business name) successfully launched its fifth and last Falcon 9 V1.0 rocket with Dragon C104 spacecraft to orbit for SpaceX's second mission to ISS under its Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA.
Falcon 9 completed its job perfectly, continuing its 100 percent success rate.
The launch occurred on March 1, 2013. A minor technical issue arose on the Dragon spacecraft involving the RCS thruster pods. It occurred upon reaching orbit, but it was recoverable. The vehicle was released from the station on March 26, 2013, at 10:56 UTC and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 16:34 UTC.
Cargo Dragon separated from Falcon 9's second stage approximately nine minutes after launch, then a minor issue with some of Dragon's oxidation (Nitrogen Tetroxide) tanks was detected. Within a few hours, SpaceX engineers had identified and corrected the issue, normalizing the oxidation pressure and returning operations to normal.
Thruster Pod 1 had operational oxidizer pressure in one its four Nitrogen Tetroxide tanks from one of a common shared helium COPV. The shared four way valve was partially blocked, and the blockage was hammered loose during the first day.
Thruster Pod 1 has five Draco thrusters while Thruster Pod 4 only has four Draco thrusters. Thruster Pod 2 and 3 came online even later that day, so Thruster Pod 1 and 3 must be placed opposite with five Draco thrusters each and Thruster Pod 2 and 4 only have four Draco thrusters each.
Each Thruster Pod has a right and left roll Draco 400 Newton thruster, and one forward and one backward pointed pitch/yar Draco thruster. The two extra Draco thrusters in Thruster Pod 1 and 3 both point forward to aide in the deorbit maneuver so there are six forward pointed Draco thrusters available with 2.4 kN thrust.
Dragon recomputed its ascent profile as it was designed to and is now on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) with possible arrival on Sunday, just one day past the original timeline.
Dragon is the only spacecraft in the world capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth. Dragon will stay on station for three weeks, during which astronauts will unload approximately 1,200 pounds of cargo and fill the capsule with return cargo, for return to Earth. Dragon is filled with supplies for the ISS, including critical materials to support science investigations.
Later this month, Dragon will return a payload that includes research results, education experiments and space station hardware.
The Dragon Payload
SpaceX CRS-2, also known as SpX-2, was the fourth flight for SpaceX's uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft, the fifth and final flight for the company's two-stage Falcon 9 v1.0 launch vehicle, and the second SpaceX operational mission contracted to NASA under a CRS Commercial Resupply Services contract.
When launched the CRS-2 Dragon was filled with about 1,493 lb (677 kg) of cargo, 1,268 lb (575 kg) without packaging. Included is 178 lb (81 kg) of crew supplies, 766 lb (347 kg) of scientific experiments and experiment hardware, 298 lb (135 kg) of hardware for the station and other miscellaneous items, among them a CD copy of the song "Up in the Air" by rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, was premiered on board the International Space Station on March 18, 2013, during a NASA TV broadcast from the station.
The Dragon unpressurized trunk section, which allows the transport of unpressurized cargo to the ISS, had its first use on this flight. The two Heat Rejection Subsystem Grapple Fixtures (HRSGFs) had a combined weight of 487 lb (221 kg) and were transported to the ISS inside the unpressurized Dragon trunk as external cargo.
The Dragon returned 3,020 lb (1,370 kg) of cargo, 2,668 lb (1,210 kg) without packaging. Included is 210 lb (95 kg) of crew supplies, 1,455 lb (660 kg) of scientific experiments and experiment hardware, 884 lb (401 kg) of space station hardware, 84 lb (38 kg) of spacesuit equipment and other miscellaneous items.
On March 26, Dragon was unberthed from the Harmony node by the Canadarm2 at 08:10 UTC by commands from ground controllers. Its release from Canadarm2 occurred at 10:56 UTC; the Expedition 35 crew then commanded the spacecraft to slowly depart from the International Space Station.
The SpaceX Dragon fired its engines for the last time at 15:42 UTC sending it through the Earth's atmosphere for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 16:34 UTC. A team of SpaceX engineers, technicians and divers recovered the vehicle and its scientific cargo off the coast of Baja, California, for the journey back to shore which took about 30 hours.
