SpaceX CRS-1 Payload, Internet From Satellite

SpaceX CRS-1 is the third flight for the uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, an American private space transportation company based in Hawthorne, California; a partially reusable spacecraft by Space X (also known as the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation).

It is the fourth overall flight for the company’s two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle, a rocket-powered spaceflight launch system. Aside from that, it is also the first Space X operational mission under their Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA, or the “National Aeronautics and Space Administration” (“NASA”), the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation’s civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research, for the delivery of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) by commercial firms. The launch occurred on 7 October 2012 at 20:34 EDT (8 October 2012 at 00:34 UTC).

In May 2012, it was reported that the CRS-1 Falcon 9 had already been transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (“CCAFS”), an installation of the United States Air Force Space command’s 45th Space Wing, headquartered at the nearby Patrick Air Force Base. The CRS-1 Dragon later arrived on August 14, 2012. On August 31, 2012, a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDH) was completed for the CRS-1 Falcon 9 to test out the systems of the rocket prior to spacecraft integration and launch, and on September 29, a static fire test was completed; both of these tests were completed without the Dragon capsule attached to the launch vehicle stack. The mission passed its Launch Readiness Review on October 5, 2012.   

When launched the CRS-1 Dragon will be filled with about 1,995 lb (905 kg) of cargo, 882 lb (400 kg) without packaging. Included is 260 lb (120 kg) of crew supplies, 390 lb (180 kg) of critical materials to support the 166 experiments onboard the station and 66 new experiments, as well as 232 lb (105 kg) of hardware for the station as well as other miscellaneous items.

The Dragon will return 1,995 lb (905 kg) of cargo, 1,673 lb (759 kg) without packaging. Included is 163 lb (74 kg) of crew supplies, 866 lb (393 kg) of scientific experiments and experiment hardware, 618 lb (235 kg) of space station hardware, 69 lb (31 kg) of spacesuit equipment, a garment worn to keep a human alive in the harsh environment of outer space, vacuum and temperature extremes, and 55 lb (25 kg) of miscellaneous items.

A 150 kg (330 lb) prototype second-generation Orbcomm satellite (“OG2”), intended to supplement and eventually replace the current first generation constellation, is planned to be launched as a secondary payload from Falcon 9’s second stage.  

See: Internet From Satellite for customers on remote locations