SpaceX

Blogs about SpaceX activities

The Dragon cargo spacecraft departing the International Space Station to end its CRS-30 mission (Image NASA TV)

A few hours ago, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft ended its CRS-30 (Cargo Resupply Service 30) mission for NASA splashing down smoothly off the Florida Coast. The Dragon left the International Space Station a little more than 36 hours earlier. For SpaceX, this was the 10th mission of the 2nd contract with NASA to transport supplies to the Station with the new version of the Dragon cargo spacecraft.

Shortly after the splashdown, SpaceX’s recovery ship went to retrieve the Dragon to transport it to the coast. The cargo brought back to Earth will be delivered to NASA within a few hours. The Dragon spacecraft reached the International Space Station on March 23, 2024.

The Dragon 2 spacecraft docking with the International Space Station in its CRS-30 mission (Image NASA TV)

A little while ago, SpaceX’s Dragon 2 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station’s Harmony module completing the first part of its CRS-30 mission. Astronauts Loral O’Hara and her colleague Mike Barratt monitored the operation but the cargo spacecraft, which blasted off when it was Thursday afternoon in the USA, completed the maneuvers automatically without any problem.

SpaceX's Dragon 2 cargo spacecraft blasting off atop a Falcon 9 rocket in its CRS-30 mission (Image NASA TV)

A few hours ago, the SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in its CRS-30 (Cargo Resupply Service 30) mission, also referred to as SPX-30. After almost exactly 12 minutes it separated successfully from the rocket’s last stage and went en route. This is the 30th mission for the Dragon/Dragon 2 spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station with various cargoes and then return to Earth, again with various cargoes.

Super Heavy 10 and Starship 28 blasting off (Image courtesy SpaceX)

SpaceX conducted a new flight test of its Super Heavy rocket and Starship prototypes, launched from its base in Boca Chica, Texas. This is the third test involving the entire system of Elon Musk’s company which is supposed to revolutionize space travel with an unprecedented transport capacity and being totally reusable. In this case, however, they are prototypes with the Super Heavy identified as Booster 10 and the Starship identified as Starship 28 or Ship28 or simply S28. After the second test conducted on November 18, 2023, many changes were made to the Super Heavy and Starship systems. Despite the upgrades, they don’t have the safety requirements required to conduct controlled landings, so the plans continue to have the test ending with both vehicles splashing down.

The Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft after its splashdown that end its Crew-7 mission (Image NASA TV)

A little while ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft concluded its Crew-7, or SpaceX Crew-7, mission for NASA by landing without problems. On board were astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, and Satoshi Furukawa and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, who had reached the International Space Station on August 27, 2023, and were part of Expedition 69/70. The four of them finished the seventh regular crewed mission of SpaceX in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. The Crew Dragon departed the Station a bit more than 18 hours earlier.