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Topic Name: SpaceX Completes NASA CDR For New Dragon
Category: STAR (Space, Telecommunications & Radioscience)
Research persons: Mr. Elon Musk
Location: 1310 East Grand Avenue, El Segundo, CA 90245, United States
Details
SpaceX has successfully completed the
Critical Design
Review (CDR) for its first Falcon 9 / Dragon mission as part of the
NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration
program. During a three day period, SpaceX hosted a group of over forty top
level NASA representatives and key SpaceX customers for a review of the design
of the Falcon 9 rocket,
Dragon spacecraft
and associated ground systems for the first COTS demonstration mission.
Three weeks prior to the review, SpaceX submitted more than 480 design
documents to NASA for detailed review by its experts. At the review, twenty six
speakers gave thirty two presentations on over two dozen different topics
including aerodynamics, propulsion, communication, ground processing, flight
operations, recovery and more. The event was held in the 60 ft tall high bay at
SpaceX's new 550,000 square foot (51,000 sq. m.) headquarters in Hawthorne,
California, a facility formerly used to build Boeing 747 fuselage sections. On
display were several pieces of Falcon 9 hardware and tooling, a full sized
engineering model of the Dragon spacecraft, and the new Merlin 1C engine
developed by SpaceX.
During the event, all comments and questions raised by NASA's experts were
satisfactorily addressed by the SpaceX design team, which resulted in official
NASA approval. With this, SpaceX continues its track record of meeting all COTS
milestones on schedule.
"In terms of overall design maturity of the Falcon 9 project, we are well
ahead of the curve for a program of this size," said Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX.
"Few CDRs feature multiple hardware items in fabrication, assembly, integration
and test phases."
The Dragon spacecraft is designed to transport up to seven astronauts, as
well as both pressurized and unpressurized cargo, to Earth orbit and back. The
architecture allows for berthing/docking with the International Space Station,
as well as private space stations that may come into being.
As part of
NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) competition, SpaceX
will launch a Falcon 9 with a cargo carrying Dragon spacecraft on a series of
three demonstration missions to the International Space Station, culminating
with the delivery of supplies to the $100 billion dollar orbiting laboratory.
SpaceX intends to demonstrate its launch, maneuvering, berthing and return
abilities by 2009 -- a year before NASA has scheduled the conclusion of Space
Shuttle operations.
About Researcher:
Mr. Elon Musk
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer,, Space Exploration
Technologies Group
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to
testify today on the future of Space Launch Vehicles and what role the private
sector might play.
The past few decades have been a dark age for development of a new human
space transportation system. One multi-billion dollar Government program after
another has failed. In fact, they have failed even to reach the launch pad, let
alone get to space. Those in the space industry, including some of my panel
members, have felt the pain first hand. The public, whose hard earned money has
gone to fund these developments, has felt it indirectly.
The reaction of the public has been to care less and less about space, an
apathy not intrinsic to a nation of explorers, but born of poor progress, of
being disappointed time and again. When America landed on the Moon, I believe we
made a promise and gave people a dream. It seemed then that, given the normal
course of technological evolution, someone who was not a billionaire, not an
astronaut made of 'The Right Stuff', but just a normal person, might one day see
Earth from space. That dream is nothing but broken disappointment today. If we
do not now take action different from the past, it will remain that way.
Space Exploration Technologies Group
In an era when most technology based products follow a path of
ever-increasing capability and reliability while simultaneously reducing costs,
launch vehicles today are little changed from those of 40 years ago. SpaceX aims
to change this paradigm by developing a family of launch vehicles which will
ultimately reduce the cost and increase the reliability of space access by a
factor of ten. Coupled with the newly emerging market for private and commercial
space transport, this new model will re-ignite humanity's efforts to explore and
develop Space.
Our company is based on the philosophy that simplicity, low-cost, and
reliability can go hand in hand. By eliminating the traditional layers of
management, internally, and sub-contractors, externally, we reduce our costs
while speeding decision making and delivery. Likewise, by keeping the vast
majority of manufacturing in house, we reduce our costs, keep tighter control of
quality, and ensure a tight feedback loop between the design and manufacturing
teams. And by focusing on simple, proven designs with a primary focus on
reliability, we reduce the costs associated with complex systems operating at
the margin.
Established in 2002 by Elon Musk , the founder of PayPal and the Zip2
Corporation, SpaceX has already developed two brand new launch vehicles,
established an impressive launch manifest, and been awarded the COTS contract by
NASA to demonstrate delivery and return of cargo to the International Space
Station. Supported by this order book and Mr. Musk's substantial resources,
SpaceX is on an extremely sound financial footing as we move towards volume
commercial launches in 2007 and beyond.
Although drawing upon a rich history of prior launch vehicle and engine
programs, SpaceX is privately developing the Dragon crew and cargo capsule and
the Falcon family of rockets from the ground up, including main and upper stage
engines, the cryogenic tank structure, avionics, guidance & control software and
ground support equipment.
With the Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Falcon 9 Heavy launch vehicles, SpaceX is
able to offer a full spectrum of light, medium and heavy lift launch
capabilities to our customers. We are able to deliver spacecraft into any
inclination and altitude, from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit to
planetary missions. The Falcon 9 and Falcon 9 Heavy are the only US launch
vehicles with true
engine out
reliability. They are also designed such that all stages are reusable,
making them the world's first fully reusable launch vehicles. And our Dragon
crew and cargo capsule, currently under development, will revolutionize access
to space by providing efficient and reliable transport of crew and cargo to the
ISS and other LEO destinations.
Our design and manufacturing facilities are located near the Los Angeles
International airport, leveraging the deep and rich aerospace talent pool
available in Southern California . Our extensive propulsion and structural test
facilities are located in Central Texas . We currently have launch complexes
available in Vandenberg and Kwajalein Island , and we are working to secure
launch facilities at Cape Canaveral.
Related Links
SpaceX
Station at NASA
S.P. Korolev RSC
Energia
Watch NASA TV via Space.TV
Space
Station News at Space-Travel.Com
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