SpaceX launches next-generation Dragon cargo ship to space station
Dragon 2 is designed to fly itself all the way to docking
ORLANDO (Web Desk) - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket boosted a next-generation SpaceX cargo ship into orbit Sunday, the first in a new line of roomier, more capable Dragon capsules featuring many of the more advanced systems used by the company’s Crew Dragon astronaut ferry ships.
Making the company’s 21st supply run to the International Space Station — the first under a follow-on NASA contract — the new Cargo Dragon was loaded with more than 6,500 pounds of crew supplies, spare parts, science gear and other equipment, including a commercial airlock for on-board experiments.
Unlike the original Dragon cargo ship, which had to be captured by the space station’s robot arm for berthing, the Dragon 2 is designed to fly itself all the way to docking at the same ports used by piloted Crew Dragon spacecraft. Unlike the crewed version, however, the cargo ship is not equipped with seats or an emergency abort system.
Running a day late because of bad weather, the long-awaited mission began at 11:17 a.m. EST when the Falcon 9’s nine first stage Merlin 1D engines roared to life with a torrent of flame, pushing the 229-foot-tall rocket away from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
