SpaceX's Dragon launch

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:10 p.m. EDT Tuesday, April 14 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The spacecraft will deliver hardware needed for the installation of two International Docking Adapters scheduled for delivery on future SpaceX missions. Once installed, these adapters will enable commercial crew spacecraft to dock to the space station.


ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will use the space station's robotic arm to grapple Dragon to the station at 7 a.m. Friday, April 17. Expedition 43 Commander Terry Virts of NASA will assist.



After about five weeks, Dragon will depart the space station for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California. The capsule will return more than 3,000 pounds of science, hardware, crew supplies and spacewalk tools.

The mission is the company's sixth cargo delivery flight to the station through NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support approximately 40 of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will be performed during Expeditions 43 and 44, including numerous human research investigations for NASA astronaut Scott Kelly's one-year mission in space.

SpaceX is also working on salvaging the main booster rocket by having it land after the booster uses most of its fuel. The booster, after separation from the upper stages, maneuvers away and flips around. Then the main engines are started for a short time to slow the booster. The rocket then uses small control fins to help steer the booster as it descends. A rocket engine starts up and the now almost empty booster slows and performs a powered landing.

Well that's the idea, they have tried this 3 times and it has failed on each, though once was weather related and this last time the rocket did land but fell over once it touched down. So they are getting there...