SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 - CRS-22 - Launching June 3, 2020
Screenshot from SpaceX Webcast of the CRS-22 - Note the Crew arm being used to load cargo
Mission Rundown: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 - CRS-22
Written: August 3, 2021
We need more Marmac’s out there
The Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-22) mission lifted off from Launch Complex 39A - LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center on 3 June 2021 at 13:29:00 EST local time - 17:29:00 UTC to start an approximately 33 day mission to the ISS to resupply the seven member Expedition 65 crew. CRS-22 consists of the Cargo Dragon C209.
CRS-22 launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, and marked the second SpaceX launch under the CRS 2 contract. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Launch Complex 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Booster B1067-1 landed on “Of Course I Still Love You'' 303 km downrange north northeast from LC-39A some 8-9 minutes after launch.
The bulk of the SpaceX fleet are all out and about getting ready for the next retrieval of SXM-8.
After deployment over the course of the next day and a half, Dragon phased itself up to the ISS for an autonomous docking to IDA-3 on the zenith, or space-facing, docking port of the Harmony module at 05:09 EDT/09:09 UTC on Saturday, June 5.
Docking marked the second time that two Dragons were at the ISS at once, as C209 was docked at the station with the USCV-2 crew. Once C209 docked, and after the completion of hatch opening, the astronauts aboard the ISS started unloading cargo.
In the following three months the teams aboard the ISS conducted the time-sensitive research experiments, and deployed the payloads. After this, they began packing Dragon for its flight home. Undocking was on 08 July at 10:45am ET (1445 UTC).
As the booster B1067 supporting this mission was on its maiden flight, its designation changed to B1067-1.
Interestingly, no pre-launch static fire test of B1067 was completed at LC-39A prior to CRS-22 despite using an unflown Falcon 9 booster.
While SpaceX has not conducted static fire tests for all missions, flights utilizing boosters with few or no previous flights, and thus less performance data available, were typically tested before use. SpaceX also usually tests “fleet leader” boosters with more flights than the rest of the active Falcon 9 cores.
The Cargo Dragon Payload
In total, the CRS-22 mission includes 3,328 kilograms of cargo, 1,948 kg of which is in the pressurized Dragon capsule. The remaining 1,380 kg come’s from the pair of ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSAs) in the unpressurized trunk of Dragon, the first of six new solar arrays which will increase the power generating capability of the station.
1,948 kilograms of pressurized cargo, broken down into ISS crew supplies of 341 kg, scientific experiments 920 kg, spacewalk equipment 52 kg, vehicle hardware 345 kg, computer gear 58 kg and Russian hardware 24 kg?
There are scientific experiments sponsored by NASA, ESA and their international partner agencies being flown to ISS in order to be carried out under the unique microgravity environment the orbital laboratory provides.
Among the hardware launched on CRS-22 is a catalytic reactor for the station’s life support system, as well as an emergency air supply system for Commercial Crew vehicles — which can support up to five crew members for up to one hour in the event of an ammonia leak on the ISS.
A new Kurs remote control unit, used to dock Russian Progress cargo vehicles, for the Russian Zarya module also rode to orbit as part of CRS-22, as did a Potable Water Dispense (PWD) filter used to purify water on the station.
Disposable air tanks used for routine cabin pressurization activities and an “Iceberg” cold storage system for temperature sensitive payloads round out the hardware launching on Dragon.
Besides the hardware, a complement of apples, oranges, tomatoes, onions, lemons, peppers, and avocados will provide the crew fresh food in addition to the standard supplies.
Additionally, 10 CubeSats from NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) program, which will be deployed from the station, launched on CRS-22, including Alpha from Cornell University, ARKSAT-1 from the University of Arkansas, BeaverCube from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CaNOP from Carthage University, and CAPSat from the University of Illinois.
Also on board are EagleSat-2 from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, PR_CuNaR2 from the International American University of Puerto Rico, RamSat from Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge Tennessee, Stratus from Michigan Technological University, and Space Hauc from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.
An 11th CubeSat from outside the ELaNa program, the Satellite for Orbital Aerodynamics Research (SOAR), is from the University of Manchester.
Time to leave this place
Cargo Dragon CRS-22 has completed its month long mission, so any details about length of stay at the ISS, undocking time tables from ISS. Return cargo weight and types, all it’s known is. It will splash down in the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX Cargo Dragon will be loaded with approximately over 2,000 kg or 5,000 pounds of scientific experiments and other cargo from the International Space Station.
The Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) stowed the empty ISS Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA) Flight Support Equipment (FSE) in the unpressurized Trunk of Cargo Dragon SpaceX-22 (SpX-22) for disposal. The crew performed cargo transfer operations for SpX-22 and completed packing the Dragon basement.
The crew focused on cargo transfer operations for SpX-22 in order to prepare the vehicle for undocking. The crew focused on packing the mid-tier section and swapped LiOH cartridges.
The crew completed several activities in preparation of the Cargo Dragon SpaceX CRS-22 (SpX-22) departure. The crew completed Mid-Tier cargo loading, Cargo Dragon Departure On-Board Training (OBT), and reconfigured cold stowage assets on the vehicle.
The crew transferred a powered Microgravity Experiment Research Locker Incubator (MERLIN) from SpX-22 to ISS and transferred a General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER) from ISS to SpX-22.
The crew was able to troubleshoot issues with stuck fasteners in the Upper Port cargo pallet in Cargo Dragon SpaceX-22 (SpX-22) which prevented them from relocating a Polar unit. This allowed subsequent planned Polar relocations to occur.
Polar is a Cold Stowage managed facility that provides transport and storage of science samples at cryogenic temperatures (-80ºC) to and from the ISS. Polar on 75 W supplied power uses air cooling as its heat rejection method. Polar can accommodate up to 12.75 liters of sample volume and 20 lbm including sample support equipment.
The crew reconfigured and swabbed several new cold stowage Polar assets this way from CRS-22 to ISS and back.
The crew has been instructed to hold off loading late refrigerated samples pending results of the -7 hour weather briefing. Just before closing the hatch, the crew pack it full of their frozen bodily fluids: blood, urine, saliva... and more that won't be mentioned.
Some of the scientific investigations include: Lyophilization-2 examines how gravity affects freeze-dried materials and could result in improved freeze-drying processes for pharmaceutical and other industries. Freeze-drying also has potential use for long-term storage of medications and other resources on future exploration missions.
Molecular Muscle Experiment-2 tests a series of drugs to see whether they can improve health in space, possibly leading to new therapeutic targets for examination on Earth.
Oral Biofilms in Space studies how gravity affects the structure, composition, and activity of oral bacteria in the presence of common oral care agents. Findings could support development of novel treatments to fight oral diseases such as cavities, gingivitis, and periodontitis.
Cargo Dragon SpaceX-22 (SpX-22) undocked from the ISS today at 9:45 AM CT to return cargo and payloads to the ground concluding the 33-day mission aboard the ISS. SpX-22 will complete departure phasing through Friday evening, jettisoning the Trunk carrying the empty ISS Power Augmentation (IPA) for destructive re-entry.
Dragon is expected to splash down Friday 09 July at approximately 23:29 EDT (10 July ~03:29 UTC) in the Gulf of Mexico near Tallahassee, Florida.
After completion of CRS-22 Cargo Dragon Deorbit Burn splashdown should be occurring 40 minutes later. Dragon C209 is expected to splash down given a number of different choices of Landing Zones off the Florida coast.
CRS-22 choices of splashdown LZ in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean
The helicopter N576AC will be retrieving time-sensitive cargo from the CRS-22 Cargo Dragon at 18:40 July 10, and will arrive at 23:22 July 10 at Kennedy Space Center for processing . This cargo was brought directly from the deck of GO Navigator which was stationed at the splashdown zone. This trip took 4 hours 42 minutes.
The CRS-22 Cargo Dragon will be sailed to Port Canaveral Submarine Navy Station to unload it on a transport bound for the SpaceX hanger for inspections.
The upgraded cargo Dragon capsule used for this mission contains double the powered locker availability of previous capsules, allowing for a significant increase in the research that can be carried back to Earth. That means freezers and cryo freezers to you and me.
The SpaceX Cargo Dragon will be loaded with scientific experiments and other cargo before departure from the ISS. Nothing is known for sure as of yet.
The Dragon Trunk from the CRS-22 cargo mission, containing the IROSA carrier, reentered on Jul 25, just 15 days after being jettisoned prior to CRS-22's deorbit.
The Cargo Dragon 2
CRS-22 marks the second launch of SpaceX’s upgraded Dragon 2 spacecraft.
Dragon capsule C208 during processing at SpaceX HQ in Hawthorne prior to CRS-21
Cargo Dragon 2 is essentially a Crew Dragon, without an abort system, so it has all of the upgrades from Crew Dragon. Most importantly, Dragon 2 is designed to be reused up to 5 times, with a turnaround time of under 6 months, which is significantly lower than Dragon One; Dragon One’s fastest turnaround time was 418 days, with most turnaround times being significantly longer.
Dragon 1 was unable to dock with the International Space Station. Meaning that Dragon 1 would hold a position away from the ISS. In this position the Canadarm would capture the spacecraft, and attaching it to the ISS. This is called berthing.
Dragon 2 autonomously attaches itself and docks to the ISS. CRS-22 will mark the sixth fully autonomous docking SpaceX has completed: DM-1, DM-2, Crew-1, CRS-21, Crew-2 and now CRS-22.
Cargo Dragon 2’s trunk is also different from both Dragon 1’s and Crew Dragon’s. Dragon 2 has its solar panels integrated into its trunk, while Dragon 1 have a deployable solar array from its trunk. However, Crew Dragon is equipped with 4 fins, which are used for aerodynamic control during ascent. Cargo Dragon 2’s trunk only has 2 solar cell fins.
Externally, Cargo Dragon 2 differs from its crewed counterpart, lacking windows and the SuperDragon abort system. The differences between Crew Dragon and Cargo Dragon are derived from the fact that Cargo Dragon is not required to have launch escape capability.
Crew Dragon is fitted with eight SpaceX-developed SuperDraco engines, located in four, two engine clusters around the outside of the capsule, which are there to pull the capsule and its crew to safety away from a Falcon 9 in the event of a catastrophic failure during fueling or launch.
Since Cargo Dragon does not carry crew, the spacecraft does not have to carry those systems; therefore the SuperDracos have been removed from the Cargo Dragon capsule giving a mass reduction that allows for additional cargo to be carried to ISS.
Cargo Dragon 2 also lacks all of the life support and onboard control systems present on Crew Dragon that are needed for humans. Instead, it carries minimal support systems to ensure conditions are kept acceptable for hatch opening on the Station and ISS Crew ingress to the vehicle.
Cargo Dragon 2 is also significantly more massive, with a dry mass of ~12,000 kg. With this mass increase Dragon 2 is able to carry ~50% more science to the ISS than Dragon One. Because of this, missions past CRS-21 will stay docked to the ISS for 3 months, rather than the 1 month that CRS-21 stayed docked.
Dragon 2’s nose cone is also significantly different as it opens instead of being jettisoned on ascent. It is protecting the docking mechanism.
At a press conference after Crew-1, Gwynne Shotwell said SpaceX is expecting to have a fleet of 8 dragons: 5 Crew Dragons and 3 Cargo Dragons. This will allow SpaceX to conduct up to 25 crewed missions and 15 resupply missions.
Unlike prior cargo resupply missions, the new Cargo Dragon 2 carried too much mass to permit a Return To Launch Site (RTLS) landing of the Falcon 9 first stage. Instead, the first stage — like Crew Dragon, from which Cargo Dragon is now derived — made use of a drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You'' in the Atlantic for landing and recovery.
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