spacetoday.net: NASA sets date for next SpaceX COTS flight

Posted: Sat, Dec 10, 2011, 8:46 AM ET (1346 GMT)
Falcon 9 launch of 1st Dragon spacecraft (NASA/KSC)

NASA announced Friday that the next commercial cargo demonstration mission to the ISS by SpaceX will launch on February 7. On that date SpaceX plans to launch its Dragon cargo spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. The spacecraft will approach the station and perform a flyby at a distance of tow miles to demonstrate its ability to safely operate close to the station. If successful, the spacecraft will then more closely approach the station, whose robotic arm will grapple the spacecraft and berth it to the station's Harmony node. The flight will combine the objectives of two separate original Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration flights, and if successful will clear the way for SpaceX to make regular cargo delivery flights to the ISS. SpaceX performed an initial COTS flight a year ago, launching a Dragon spacecraft into orbit and safely returning it to Earth.