Watch the Launch

Additional Media

NASA/SpaceX Launch To Station -- SpaceX Webcast

Official Launch Webcast from SpaceX for the COTS 2+ launch on 5/22/2012. Webcast shot live at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. Highlights: 44:27 - Launc...

SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2

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Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Resupply

Low Earth Orbit Space Launch Complex 40 Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2 (COTS 2), was the second test-flight for SpaceX's uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft, launched on the third flight of the company's two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The flight was performed under a funded agreement from NASA as the second Dragon demonstration mission in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. The purpose of the COTS program is to develop and demonstrate commercial sources for cargo re-supply of the International Space Station (ISS). The Dragon C2+ spacecraft was the first American vehicle to visit the ISS since the end of the Space Shuttle program. It was also the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous and berth with another spacecraft.

Falcon 9

Family: Falcon
Configuration: v1.0

The Falcon 9 v1.0 first stage was used on the first five Falcon 9 launches, and powered by nine SpaceX Merlin 1C rocket engines arranged in a 3x3 pattern.

See Falcon Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    47.8 m
  • Diameter
    3.65 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    318 T
  • Thrust
    3807 kN
Family
  • Name
    Falcon 9
  • Family
    Falcon
  • Variant
    v1.0
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Falcon 9 v1.0
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $59000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    9300 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    3400 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Booster Info


B0005


Type: Core
Flight Proven: No
First Flight: May 22, 2012
Last Flight: May 22, 2012
Flights: 1

Landing Information

Core will be expended.

Dragon C102


Active Cargo Unmanned Payload Capacity: 4200 kg
Destination: International Space Station
Serial Number: C102

First Dragon mission with complete spacecraft, first rendezvous mission, first berthing with ISS. After recovery, the capsule was put on display at Kennedy Space Center.

Dragon 1 Details

SpaceX

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CEO: Elon Musk Founded: 2002 Successes: 240 Failures: 10 Pending: 113

Agency Type: Commercial

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.

INFO WIKI

Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Space Launch Complex 40


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 18 hours ago
Starlink Group 2-10
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Chollima 1
Failure
3 days, 3 hours ago
Malligyong-1
Malligyong-1 Pad - Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Malligyong-1 (meaning "Telescope-1") is a North Korean satellite officially declared to be for military reconnaissance purposes. It failed to reach o…


Long March 2
Success
3 days, 23 hours ago
Shenzhou 16
Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921) - Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Fifth crewed flight to the Chinese space station.


GSLV Mk II
Success
4 days, 19 hours ago
IRNSS-1J (NVS-01)
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad - Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India

This is a replacement satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. The constellation will provide India with an alternative to GPS …


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 20 hours ago
BADR-8
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Geostationary communications satellite built by Airbus Defense and Space and based on the Eurostar Neo platform for Arabsat.


Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat-M
Success
1 week ago
Kondor-FKA No.1
Cosmodrome Site 1S - Vostochny Cosmodrome, Siberia, Russian Federation

The Kondor-FKA is a small civilian radar Earth observation satellite designed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya as a civilian counterpart to the Kondor-E sate…


Electron
Success
1 week ago
TROPICS-3
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Last two operational (TROPICS-06 & TROPICS-07) satellites for NASA's Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a…


SpaceShipTwo
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
VSS Unity 25
Spaceport America - Air launch to Suborbital flight

Virgin Galactic return to space mission ahead of the first commercial flight.


Nuri
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
NEXTSat-2 & SNIPE
LC-2 - Naro Space Center, South Korea

Third flight of the KSLV-II "Nuri" launch vehicle, carrying NEXTSat-2 as well as SNIPE A through D.


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Progress MS-23 (84P)
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.