Space.com (December 14, 2009)
"The commercial spaceflight company Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) said this month that it expects to launch its cargo-carrying Dragon spacecraft on a maiden flight to the International Space Station (ISS) sometime between May and November 2010.
"The Hawthorne, Calif.-based company said it conducted the first Dragon operations training session with NASA astronauts in October to bring them up to speed on how the station crew will interface with the capsule while it is approaching and berthed to the station.
SpaceX's Dragon is a reusable spacecraft, that will, if all goes well, be "used for Earth to LEO transport of pressurized cargo, unpressurized cargo, and/or crew members...." (DRAGON OVERVIEW, SpaceX)
Looks like there won't be that much of a gap in cargo runs to the ISS, after all.
Heavy-lift reusable vehicles are another matter, but I suspect someone will work out a commercially-feasible design.
There's a Dragon launch planned for early 2010: but that vehicle won't go near the ISS.
Exciting times, these that we live in.
Related posts:
- "The Future: Just Like Today, Only Different"
(last updated December 2, 2009) - "Hypersonic Vehicles: Waveriders to Space"
(November 2, 2009) - "When it's Time to Build Spaceships, People Will Build Spaceships"
(October 4, 2009) - "A Freighter Unloads its Cargo: What's the Big Deal?"
(September 20, 2009) - "Groundbreaking at Spaceport America: World's First Purpose-Built Commercial Spaceport"
(June 20, 2009)- The spaceport has been in operation for some time
- The groundbreaking involved the passenger terminal
- "Spaceport America: Still Open for Business"
(November 6, 2008) - "Dubai Architecture: A Photo Gallery"
(October 25, 2008)- Review of a post by someone who wasn't aware that a commercial spaceport was already in operation.
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