SpaceX: Cargo Dragon supply mission to the ISS launched

A hydrazine leak on a SpaceX cargo Dragon spacecraft caused the launch of the spacecraft to be delayed by more than a month. The spacecraft is now on its way to the International Space Station. Seven and a half minutes after takeoff, the Falcon 9 first stage landed on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. The stage successfully launched the Turksat 5B communications satellite, as well as NASA’s Crew-3, Crew-4, and CRS-22 missions. This was the stage’s fifth flight overall. SpaceX has conducted 30 launches so far this year compared to 31 over the entirety of 2021.

KEY POINTS:

• 2,668 kilos of cargo are being carried by the Dragon spacecraft for the CRS-25 mission. This cargo includes scientific research as well as crew supplies, hardware for spacewalks, and science experiments. Included in that amount is equipment weighing 544 kilos that is housed in the spacecraft’s unpressurized trunk.
• The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, or EMIT, is one of the science payloads and will be mounted on the outside of the station. It will be applied to research atmospheric mineral dust and how it affects ecosystems all around the world.
• Early June had been assigned as the launch date for the CRS-25 mission. After finding what NASA referred to as “elevated vapour readings” of hydrazine in the spacecraft’s propulsion system, NASA and SpaceX decided to delay the launch.
• As propellants for its Draco thrusters, which manage its approach to and departure from the ISS as well as deorbiting at the end of the mission, Dragon employs monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.

Important Takeaways For All Competitive Exams:

• Senior director of human spaceflight programs at SpaceX: Benji Reed
• Grincipal investigator for EMIT at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Robert Green