Cargo spacecraft "Dragon CRS-19" (SpX-19, Dragon C108-F?)

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  44821 / 19083A Launch date - time  05 Dec 2019 - 17:29 UTC Launch site  CC, SLC40 Launch vehicle  Falcon-9 v1.2 Capsule nº   Mass (kg)   kg Total cargo mass (kg)   Earth orbit:    - Perigee / Apogee  203 x 378 km    - Eccentricity      - Inclination  51.7°    - Period   min

Description:

• DRAGON CRS-19 is a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, contracted to NASA. It is the X flight?? for SpaceX′s uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft, and the ten?? SpaceX operational mission contracted to NASA under a Commercial Resupply Services contract. The mission brings equipment and supplies to the space station.

Mission details:

• On Dec 5, 2019 SpaceX launched Dragon CRS-19 on its way to the ISS. The Falcon 9 first stage landed on the OCISLY droneship.
  In Dragon′s trunk are:
  • HISUI (Hyperspectral Imager Suite) for Japan′s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; to be installed at EFU 8 on the JEM Exposed Facility. Mass about 600 kg; developed by Japan Space Systems.
  • Li-Ion battery/Adapter Plate, to replaced one that failed after installation.
  In the cabin are:
  • RiTS (Robotic Tool Stowage), a box that can store both of the RELL leak locators, to be EVA-installed outside ISS.
  • Cubesats CIRiS (Utah State), CryoCube-1 (NASA KSC), QARMAN (Von Karman Inst,, Belgium), SORTIE (Astra LLC/UNMC), EdgeCube (Sonoma State U), MakerSat 1 (NW Nazarene U), and AztechSat-1 (UPAEP, Puebla, Mexico).
• Dragon was captured by the Canadarm-2 at 1005 UTC Dec 8 and berthed on the Harmony nadir port at 1247 UTC.
• The Dragon′s Falcon 9 second stage remained in orbit for several hours and then restarted to make a 20s duration out-of-plane deorbit burn to reenter southwest of Australia. This was to simulate a GEO 3-burn deployment mission. After separation from Dragon at 1739 UTC, it was in a 204 x 378 km x 51.6 deg orbit until about 2225 UTC when it made a 1.8 km/s burn to about -31 x 280 km x 58.5 deg, reentering in the target zone shortly after 2300 UTC, having completed 3 orbits of the Earth. Unfortunately it was not cataloged and no TLEs are available for it; the old rule was that things that completed one orbit should get a catalog number but this rule is no longer being followed.
• On Jan 7, 2020 at about 0500 UTC the Canadarm-2 unberthed the Dragon CRS-19 ship from the Harmony module. Dragon was released back into orbit at 1005 UTC, and performed three separation burns between 1008 and 1020 UTC. The plume from one of those firings was reported to have made the Cygnus NG-12 solar arrays wobble, which is something one tries to avoid.
  Dragon fired its thrusters to deorbit at 1451 UTC until 1504 UTC, jettisoned the trunk section at 1508 UTC and entered the atmosphere at 1524 UTC with splashdown near 121.0W 31.2N at 1542 UTC.

External links:

• Wikipedia: Dragon CRS-19 mission

Astrophilately covers:

CRS-19 Splashdown and recovery. Credit: #411