Wednesday, February 8, 2017

SpaceX's first launch from LC-39A


SpaceX renovating LC-39A, April 8th, 2016
Spaceflight News
SpaceX has been working hard on getting their new launch pad ready. Launch Complex 39A, which used to launch Space Shuttles and Apollo Saturn V rockets, was leased to SpaceX in April of 2014 to support the launches of their Falcon Heavy rocket. With the pad anomaly back in September resulting in the loss of the vehicle and payload along with major damage to the launch pad, SpaceX will now be launching their Falcon 9 rocket to catch up on their backlog. They have officially announced on Twitter that the first launch from LC-39A will be CRS-10 with the Dragon spacecraft to carry supplies to the ISS and will launch on February 18th at 10:01am EST. It is said to be a "Return to launch site" (RTLS) 1st stage landing and will be the first daytime landing
CRS-8 standing at Launch Complex 40
Spaceflight News
back on land. Nearly 
2,029 kg (4,473 lb) of pressurized cargo will be loaded into the ISS and 977 kg (2,154 lb) of unpressurized cargo will be stored in Dragon's trunk. One of the primary payloads that will be carried up and mounted to the ISS is the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment, also known as SAGE III. After being mounted onto the Space Station, it will make long-term measurements of ozone, aerosols, water vapor, and other gasses in Earth's atmosphere.

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