Dragon Qualification Unit

Spacecraft n°:

US spacecraft n°:

Launch data: Designation  36595 / 10026A Launch date  04 Jun 2010 - 18:45 UT Launch site  CC, SLC-40 Launch vehicle  Falcon-9 Mission  Vehicle evaluation, test Earth orbit on Jun 4.84: Perigee / Apogee  235 x 276 km Eccentricity  0.003 Inclination  34.50 deg Period  89.53 min

Mission details:

• The Dragon Qualifiaction Unit is a structural model of the Dragon space capsule.
• Defying questionable odds and technical gremlins, the Falcon 9 rocket completed a nearly flawless first flight Friday afternoon, successfully hitting a bullseye 155 miles [250 km] high in space after a drama-filled countdown and launch.
• SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully reached its target orbit on its first launch on Jun 4. The Dragon Qualification Unit, attached to the Falcon 9 second stage, entered a 235 x 276 km x 34.5 deg orbit at 1853 UTC. A second stage restart planned for 1939 UTC did not occur although there may have been a small 5m/s orbit change at around 2025 UTC; venting of the second stage was observed over Australia. The Dragon QU is probably about 4000-5000 kg and is a simplified version of the Dragon cargo ship that will be used to send supplies to the Space Station on Falcon 9's next flight. The empty second stage is probably around 2000-3000 kg for a total orbit mass of the vehicle of about 6000-8000 kg.
• By late on Jun 26, 2010 the DQU/Falcon 9 was in a 138 x 140 km orbit skimming the atmosphere, and it reentered around 0h UTC on Jun 27, 2010.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel Cape Canaveral. Credit: #401

Launch cancel Cape Canaveral, ESA cover