SpaceX (1/2)

peronik a écrit:question stupide surement , mais la falcon 9 positionnée sur le pad LC40 le 11 Janvier 2009 elle fait quoi .???? un test d'endurance aux condition météo de la floride ???? :megalol: :megalol: :megalol: :megalol:

on en est au 9 juin et toujours pas de lancement alors que leur "launch manifest" annonce TROIS tir pour courant 2009

Falcon 9 Flight 1



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First Stage Engines

Engine testing for the inaugural Falcon 9 flight proceeds at a rapid pace with no major problems or concerns. Six of the nine first stage flight engines have completed acceptance testing and all nine flight engines are on schedule to complete acceptance testing by mid July.


Merlin 1C first stage engine firing on the stand at our Texas testing facility.


Second Stage Engines

Our Merlin Vacuum engine (MVac), which powers the Falcon 9 second stage, entered development with a skirt temperature too hot for flight, but we have since tuned down the engine and brought the nozzle temperature within flight specifications. The MVac will complete development by month's end, with qualification testing to follow in July.


Merlin Vacuum (MVac) engine firing on the test stand in Texas. Like the smaller engine on our Falcon 1 second stage, during flight the MVac engine will also have a large radiatively cooled expansion nozzle to increase its performance in the vacuum of space.


Launch Operations

A key objective of taking Falcon 9 vertical at the Cape earlier this year was to validate ground systems interfaces and operations with the vehicle in its final flight configuration, prior to executing the launch campaign.


First Falcon 9 vehicle at Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 40, former launch site of the Titan IV rocket.



The successful operation allowed us to validate several key interfaces and operations including:

• Mechanical functionality of the erector and its physical fit with the vehicle
  
• Integration tooling interfaces and function
  
• Ground system control interfaces
  
• Environments testing
  
• Hydraulic systems testing
  
• Logistics, shipping and equipment handling
  
• Vehicle integration/mating operations (fairing, stages, erector)
  
• Vehicle lifting operations
  
• Launch mount operations

Since that time, our RP-1 system has become operational, the cryogenic liquid oxygen handling system is nearing completion, and we have completed construction of our horizontal vehicle integration hangar. The Transporter Erector is getting reassembled into flight configuration and will be back into system level testing in mid July.


Exterior view of the vehicle integration building, located to the south of the launch pad.



Interior of the vehicle integration building showing the massive overhead crane system, each with a 20 ton lifting capacity.


Our 125,000 gallon liquid oxygen storage sphere (shown below) and supporting pumping station are nearing completion and will undergo cryo shock testing in early July. Next up for completion at the launch site will be auxiliary systems like TEA-TEB handling, spin start support systems, engine purge and launch pad water deluge systems, and helium chill systems.








Structures

In preparation for the inaugural Falcon 9 flight, our Structures team is hard at work with qualification of the Falcon 9 primary structures. The Falcon 9 first stage with interstage is currently loaded in the structural qualification stand at our Texas facility. Qualification testing is expected to be complete by month's end and we expect to have fully qualified first and second flight stages at SLC-40 by end of summer.



Falcon 9 first stage and interstage (right) on the structural test stand in Texas. To the left is the our
largest test stand, used last November for our successful nine engine mission duration test firing.



The Falcon 9 truss and skirt assembly is complete and loaded in the structural test stand at our headquarters in Hawthorne, California. System checks begin today and proceed into qualification loading later this week. The entire test series will take about 3 weeks to complete.



Pending installation of the transfer tube, our Falcon 9 Flight 1 first stage tank will be completed this week, travel to Texas for proof and leak testing, and then move on to integration. Second stage tank build progress continues with secondary structure installations, and the Falcon 9 fairing build continues as well, with final assembly to start in approximately three to four weeks.



Progress continues on the hardware for Flight 2 of Falcon 9, which will feature our first demonstration flight under the COTS program of the Dragon spacecraft. The friction stir weld process is nearly complete for the second stage tank and the Falcon 9 interstage is in final assembly. In addition, skirt panels are complete through the layup process and ready for assembly integration.



Avionics

Development of the avionics suite for Falcon 9 and Dragon is nearing completion, with key units in final qualification testing and others in production.

Units already in production include:

Remote Input/Output modules for Merlin engine control
10 Mbit/sec network switching nodes for Falcon 9 and Dragon
High-energy-density Lithium-polymer batteries


SpaceX-developed CUCU (COTS Ultra high frequency Communication Unit) radio transceiver undergoing testing in Avionics' EMI (electromagnetic interference) test chamber.



In addition, the COTS UHF Communications Unit (CUCU), a dual-redundant digital communications link for Dragon and the ISS, has passed qualification testing and four units are in production. CUCU units on Dragon and the ISS will provide radio communication between the two space vehicles during final approach and berthing of Dragon. The first CUCU production unit is scheduled to be transported by NASA to the ISS aboard the Space Shuttle in late 2009.



Visit www.spacex.com/updates.php to view this update on the web.

yoann a écrit:au prix ou sera la place d'un siege pour aller en orbite, je pense qu'il n'y aura pas beaucoup de monde a par la nasa pour envoyer des astronautes dans la capsule dragon vers l'iss

ce qui me stupéfait, c'est qu'elle sera sur oribite certainement avant orion

non ?

yoann a écrit:

ce qui me stupéfait, c'est qu'elle sera sur oribite certainement avant orion

non ?

SPACEX HOSTS PRELIMINARY TRAINING FOR NASA ISS ASTRONAUTS IN PREPARATION FOR
DRAGON SPACECRAFT RENDEZVOUS AND STATION BERTHING

Hawthorne, CA – December 3, 2009 – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) recently conducted its first Dragon spacecraft operations training for a group of NASA astronauts and personnel at its corporate headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. The October training focused on how the crew will interface with the Dragon spacecraft while it is approaching and berthed to the International Space Station (ISS). Three of the participating astronauts—Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Shannon Walker and Douglas Wheelock—will be on board the ISS when Dragon makes its first visit under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.

The astronauts were briefed on vehicle ingress and egress, habitability of the spacecraft, payload handling and commanding through SpaceX's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Communication Unit. The training was a key step in SpaceX's progress towards providing NASA an alternative for cargo transport to and from the ISS when the Space Shuttle retires.

“This was the first time the NASA astronauts who will interact with Dragon during its early missions were actually inside a Dragon flight vehicle” said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO, SpaceX. “SpaceX was honored to host the ISS crew for this preliminary training exercise, and we look forward to serving NASA further under the COTS program and CRS contracts.”

Also in attendance were NASA astronauts Marsha Ivins and Megan McArthur, as well as other key NASA personnel from the NASA Astronaut Office and Mission Operations Directorates.

Under the COTS program, SpaceX will execute three flights of the Dragon spacecraft. Dragon will pass in close proximity to, and berth with, the ISS as part of the second and third COTS missions, respectively. Upon completion of these demonstration flights, SpaceX will begin to fulfill the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract for 12 cargo flights between 2010 and 2015 and represents a guaranteed minimum of 20,000 kg to be carried to the ISS.

For more information about the Falcon family of vehicles and the Dragon spacecraft, please visit www.SpaceX.com.




About SpaceX

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft intended to increase the reliability and reduce the cost of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. With the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 vehicles, SpaceX offers highly reliable/cost-efficient launch capabilities for spacecraft insertion into any orbital altitude and inclination. Starting in 2010, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft will provide Earth-to-LEO transport of pressurized and unpressurized cargo, including resupply to the International Space Station (ISS).

Founded in 2002, SpaceX is a private company owned by management and employees, with minority investments from Founders Fund and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. The SpaceX team now numbers over 800, with corporate headquarters in Hawthorne, California. For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.spacex.com.

yoann a écrit:au prix ou sera la place d'un siege pour aller en orbite, je pense qu'il n'y aura pas beaucoup de monde a par la nasa pour envoyer des astronautes dans la capsule dragon vers l'iss

ce qui me stupéfait, c'est qu'elle sera sur oribite certainement avant orion

non ?

Laurent J a écrit:

yoann a écrit:au prix ou sera la place d'un siege pour aller en orbite, je pense qu'il n'y aura pas beaucoup de monde a par la nasa pour envoyer des astronautes dans la capsule dragon vers l'iss

ce qui me stupéfait, c'est qu'elle sera sur oribite certainement avant orion

non ?

Je crois qu'il y a une petite confusion . Il ne me semble pas qu'on évoque ici la possibilité d'acheminer des astronautes dans la capsule dragon, mais la familiarisation des astronautes avec les équipements qui seront installés à bord de l'ISS pour pouvoir s'interfacer avec les capsules "cargo" dragon et les décharger...

à moins que j'aie mal lu.

Laurent J a écrit:familiarisation des astronautes avec les équipements qui seront installés à bord de l'ISS pour pouvoir s'interfacer avec les capsules "cargo" dragon et les décharger...