Fri, Sep 04, 2009
Unit Will Fly Aboard STS-129 For Integration With International
Space Station
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) said Tuesday it has
delivered the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS)
Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Communication Unit to NASA’s
Kennedy Space Center in preparation for launch on Space Shuttle
Atlantis, STS-129. The unit will be delivered by Atlantis to the
International Space Station (ISS) and integrated in preparation for
SpaceX’s future flights to the orbiting laboratory.
Developed by SpaceX, in collaboration with NASA, the unit allows
for communication between the ISS, SpaceX’s Dragon
spacecraft, and ground-based mission control. The system also
allows the ISS crew to monitor an approaching or departing capsule.
As part of NASA’s COTS competition, SpaceX will conduct
flights of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft,
culminating in Dragon berthing with the ISS and then returning to
Earth.
SpaceX Communication Unit
The unique public-private partnership created through the COTS
program will allow SpaceX’s Dragon to serve as a replacement
for cargo transport to the ISS when the Space Shuttle retires. Upon
completion of the COTS requirements, SpaceX will begin to fulfill
the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract, awarded by NASA in
late 2008. The contract includes 12 cargo flights between 2010 and
2015 and represents a guaranteed minimum of 20,000 kg to be carried
to the ISS. Dragon will deliver pressurized and unpressurized cargo
to the ISS and return pressurized cargo back to Earth.
“SpaceX is pleased to have delivered the two-way
communication system to the Cape in preparation for flight to the
ISS,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President, SpaceX. “The
unit had to pass NASA’s strict ISS safety standards and
reviews, demonstrating our progress under the COTS program and
laying the groundwork for future F9/Dragon flights to resupply
cargo and possibly crew to the ISS when Shuttle retires.”
SpaceX Dragon Artist's
Concept
Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for launch no earlier than
November 12, 2009, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad
39A.
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