SpaceX Dragon Launch - A New Chapter In The History Of Space Exploration

It is the times like this that the engineers feel a sense of pride and the world basks in their glory. SpaceX has successfully launched its first commercial reusable unmanned cargo flight to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX Dragon, the massive aircraft was lifted into orbit today at 8:35 PM EDT (September 8, 0135 GMT) by a Falcon 9 booster from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. After traveling across the space, it should reach the ISS on Tuesday. The aircraft named after Puff the Magic Dragon, holds inside it a pressurized capsule and a solar power array inside an unpressurized trunk. Eighteen redundant Draco thrusters that are responsible for the attitude control will guide the mission and after its work is completed, the Dragon returns by parachute to be recovered underwater and later refurbished and reused.

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It was only in May that we told you about #-Link-Snipped-# with a green signal for the flight. And today, the dream has materialized. Just minutes after the launch, SpaceX Dragon entered the Earth's orbit and began deploying its solar array and started sensors testing. NASA's engineers will be now busy seeing to it that the Dragon adjusts its orbit to match that of the ISS over the next three days. The Dragon is supposed to park itself within ten meters of the station. Along with NASA, the folks over at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will be the ones to capture Dragon using one of the station's robotic arms and guide it to a docking port. From there, the crew unloads it there and then after three weeks comes the day for the Dragon to return to Earth.

This is indeed a new chapter in the history of humans' space exploration. We congratulate the whole team of engineers, designers and scientists on their victory and wish them success with the upcoming endeavors.

Via: #-Link-Snipped-# Source: SpaceX