[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18154937

California's SpaceX has launched on a mission to re-supply the space station - the first cargo delivery to the orbiting outpost by a private company.

The firm's Falcon rocket, topped by an unmanned Dragon freight capsule, lifted clear of its Florida pad at 03:44 EDT (07:44 GMT; 08:44 BST).

The initial climb to an altitude some 340km above the Earth lasted a little under 10 minutes.

Within moments of being ejected, Dragon opened its solar panels.

It will take a couple of days to reach the station. The plan currently is for the vessel to demonstrate its guidance, control and communications systems on Thursday, at a distance of 2.5km from the International Space Station (ISS).

If those practice proximity manoeuvres go well, Dragon will be allowed to drive to within 10m of the station on Friday. Astronauts inside the platform will then grab the ship with a robotic arm and berth it to the 400km-high structure.

They will empty Dragon of its 500kg of food, water and equipment, before releasing it for a return to Earth at the end of the month.

So far, so good .....

[Omah]

The California SpaceX company has seen its unmanned Dragon cargo ship attach successfully to the International Space Station (ISS).

Astronauts onboard the platform used its robotic arm to grasp the vehicle and attach it to a berthing port.

Dragon is the first commercial vessel to visit the space station.

It is also the first American ship to go to the orbiting laboratory since the US space agency (Nasa) retired its shuttles last year.

US astronaut Don Petit was inside the ISS at the controls of the Canadarm2.

He reached out with the robotic appendage and grabbed the Dragon capsule at 13:56 GMT (14:56 BST).

"Houston, looks like we got us a Dragon by the tail," he radioed to Nasa mission control in Texas.

The capture was met by applause from controllers, at the Nasa centre and at the SpaceX HQ in Hawthorne, California, where Dragon's flight is also being overseen.

Just under two hours later, Petit used the arm to position the Dragon under the ISS's Harmony connecting node. A good seal was confirmed at 16:02 GMT (17:02 BST).

The ISS crew will go inside the ship on Saturday to unload its stores.

Saturday night - Pizza and Coke .....

[lostalex]

Pretty sweet. We should remember though that they have been helped A LOT by NASA. They didn't do it alone.

I've heard some people say "well who needs NASA then? if a private company can do it, then why are we paying our taxes to NASA?" well SpaceX absolutely needed NASA to pull this off.

Congrats to SpaceX though, awesome accomplishment.

[arista]

Yes Nasa private enterprises
now funded by Rich owners.


All they gear is used
and more updated gear brought in.

[Scarlett.]

Private spaceflight is the future, saying that, NASA will always be relevant, they will just be able to do more now with the help of private companies

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18273811

The American SpaceX company's Dragon cargo capsule is heading back to Earth having spent a week attached to the International Space Station (ISS).

The unmanned vehicle was released from the orbiting platform early on Thursday, and is targeting a Pacific splashdown off California.

Dragon made history last Friday by becoming the first privately operated craft to visit the orbiting platform.

It delivered half a tonne of food and other supplies to the ISS.

The current mission is intended as a demonstration of the freight service SpaceX plans to run to the station.

The firm has a $1.6bn (Ł1bn; 1.3bn-euro) contract with the US space agency (Nasa) waiting to be triggered on the successful recovery of Dragon from the ocean.

"It's a very challenging phase of flight. Only a few countries have done this before so we're not taking this lightly," said SpaceX mission director John Coulurlis ahead of the re-entry.

Dragon is projected to hit the water at 15:44 GMT (08:44 PDT; 11:44 EDT; 16:44 BST).

So far, so good .....

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18273811

The American SpaceX company's Dragon cargo capsule has splashed down in the ocean off the California coast.

The return to Earth completes a historic first mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by a privately operated vehicle.

Impact with the water was confirmed at 08:42 Pacific Daylight Time (15:42 GMT; 16:42 BST).

Fast boats positioned in the splashdown zone were despatched to recover the unmanned capsule.

Early data suggested Dragon came down very close to its targeted location about 900km (560 miles) from the Baja Peninsula.

[Sticks]

Have they got it yet?

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Sticks

Have they got it yet?

Apparently :

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...4d586e64552b10

The unmanned supply ship scored a bull's-eye with its arrival, splashing down into the ocean about 500 miles off Mexico's Baja California peninsula. A fleet of recovery ships quickly moved in to pull the capsule aboard a barge for towing to Los Angeles.

It will take a few days to transport the fresh-from-orbit Dragon by barge to the Port of Los Angeles. From there, it will be trucked to the SpaceX rocket factory in McGregor, Texas, for unloading and inspection. Reports from the scene are that the spacecraft looks "really good" with no major changes needed for future Dragons, just minor tweaks.

SpaceX — or more properly Space Exploration Technologies Corp. — plans to hustle off a few returning items while still at sea to demonstrate to NASA a fast 48-hour turnaround. That capability would be needed for future missions bearing vital experiments.

[billy123]

some more info on the successful return of the capsule including its gentle 10mph touchdown into the ocean.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/...lights-638518/