Cargo spacecraft "Dragon CRS-23" (SpX-23, Dragon C208-F2)

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  49117 / 21078A Launch date - time  29 Aug 2021 - 07:14:49 UTC Launch site  CCK, SLC-39A Launch vehicle  Falcon-9 v1.2 Bl5 (Booster B1061.4) Spacecraft  Cargo Dragon C208 Manufacturer  SpaceX Dimensions cabine  Height: 8.1m - Dia: 4m Launch mass   6000 kg Payload Mass (kg)  2207 kg Total cargo mass (kg)  Pressurised: 1948 kg  Unpressurised: 1380 kg Low Earth orbit:    - Perigee / Apogee   km    - Eccentricity      - Inclination  51.66°    - Period  92.99 min

Credit: Collectspace.com

Description:

• SpaceX CRS-23, also known as SpX-23, is a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station which launched on 29 Aug 2021 and docking the following day. The mission was contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX using a Cargo Dragon C208. This was the thirdflight for SpaceX under NASA′s CRS Phase 2 contract awarded in January 2016.

Payload:

• NASA contracted for the CRS-22 mission from SpaceX and therefore determines the primary payload, date of launch, and orbital parameters for the Cargo Dragon. The total mission payload is 2,207 kg.
  • Science investigations: 1,046 kg
  • Vehicle hardware: 338 kg
  • Crew supplies: 480 kg
  • Spacewalk equipment: 69 kg
  • Russian hardware: 24 kg
• GITAI S1 Robotic Arm Tech Demo
• The GITAI S1 Robotic Arm Tech Demo will test GITAI Japan Inc.′s microgravity robot by placing the arm inside the newly added Nanoracks Bishop Airlock, which was carried to the station by Dragon C208.2 during the SpaceX CRS-21 mission last year. Once inside the airlock, the arm will perform numerous tests to demonstrate its versatility and dexterity.

Mission details:

• Cargo Dragon capsule C208, with (as usual) a new trunk, was launched on mission SpX CRS-23 on Aug 29, 2021. The trunk is empty on this mission. The cabin carries 2207 kg of pressurized cargo including 45 kg of satellite deployment hardware.
• For Nanoracks, four cubesats are carried (the first three as part of NASA′s Elana program) for deployment from the NRCSD deployer (probably NRCSD-21?):
  • PR-CuNaR2, a 3U physics experiment from the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico - Bayamon
  • CAPSat, a 3U technology satellite from the University of Illinois
  • SPACE HAUC, a 3U satellite testing a software defined radio from U. Massachusetts, Lowell
  • IOD-3 Amber, a 6U shipping electronic intelligence satellite from Horizon Technologies (Reading) and the Satellite Applications Catapult (Harwell) which will provide data to the Portsmouth-based National Maritime Information Centre.
• For Japan′s SpaceBD, another four payloads are known to be aboard and will use the JAXA J-SSOD deployer:
  • Binar-1, a 1U test satellite for Curtin University
  • CUAVA-1, a 3U test satellite for the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales, which have a joint new CUAVA space technology lab on the U Sydney campus;
  • Maya-3 and Maya-4, two 1U test satellites from the Phillipines DOST and the U. Phillipines Diliman.
• CRS-23 arrived at the ISS and docked at IDA-2/PMA-2 at 1430 UTC on Aug 30.
• Cargo ship Dragon CRS-23 undocked from the IDA-2 port at 1312 UTC Sep 30, 2021. It lowered its orbit at about 1708 UTC to 253 x 406 km, and made its deorbit burn at 0207 UTC Oct 1, landing off the coast of Florida at about 80.6W 29.8N at roughly 0257 UTC.
  The trunk was ejected a few minutes before deorbit and remains in the 253 x 406 km orbit.

External links:

• Wikipedia: Dragon SPX-23 mission
• SpaceX: Description.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel KSC. Credit: #411

Launch cancel Houston. Credit: #411

Docking cancel Houston. Credit: #411