After Thursday test firing, SpaceX may be a month from commercial crew launch
On Thursday afternoon at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, SpaceX performed a hot-fire test of the Falcon 9 rocket that will fly its first commercial crew demonstration mission. This flight will not carry crew members but will serve as a test of the launch system, Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the company's ability to dock the vehicle safely with the International Space Station.
[...] Typically, such a firing occurs one to two weeks before the launch of a rocket. NASA and SpaceX, however, have yet to confirm a launch date for the mission. The current public no-earlier-than date for the flight is February 16, but sources indicated to Ars that, in terms of internal planning, the current NET date is February 23.
Before a formal launch date is set, officials with the company and space agency must still give the mission a green light during a final review process. These reviews will proceed despite the partial government shutdown, as key NASA personnel designated for the commercial crew program are continuing to work without pay in support of the flight.
[...] In addition to life-support systems that can support up to seven astronauts, the Crew Dragon has several key upgrades that must be tested in spaceflight, such as solar panels built into the spacecraft rather than extended panels.
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Crew Dragon successfully conducts debut docking with the ISS
Following a successful launch early Saturday morning, SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft has successfully conducted a rendezvous and docking to the International Space Station for the first time. Docking was ahead of schedule at 5:51 AM EST (10:51 UTC) on Sunday, March 3.
[...] Dragon 2 was the first SpaceX vehicle to attempt an autonomous docking in orbit. Dragon 1, which has been flying cargo resupply missions to the ISS since 2012, only maneuvered close enough to be grappled by the station's robotic arm, which then moved the spacecraft into position to be berthed. Dragon 2, on the other hand, will not utilize the robotic arm, but rather use the onboard Draco thrusters to dock with the station. During a crewed mission, astronauts aboard the spacecraft will have the capability to intervene and fly the vehicle manually, if needed.
Crew Dragon docked to the forward port of the space station's Harmony module, which has been fitted with an International Docking Adaptor (IDA). The IDA was launched aboard Dragon 1 on the SpaceX CRS-9 mission. Crew currently aboard the ISS completed a checkout of the docking port in advance of Saturday's launch, and verified the docking system was "go" for docking.
[...] A single action item concerning Dragon's approach to the station was identified during the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) conducted before launch. A concern over Dragon's docking abort procedures was raised by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, one of NASA's international partners in the ISS program. While a scenario in which this issue would arise is unlikely, NASA and Roscosmos agreed to additional procedures to follow should Dragon encounter a problem during the rendezvous. No issues were suffered during the test objectives.
Previously: SpaceX Conducts Static Fire Test, Unmanned Crew Dragon Test Expected No Earlier Than February 23
SpaceX, Boeing (and NASA) Push Back 1st Test Launches of Private Spaceships
SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule Gets NASA Thumbs-Up for March Test Flight
SpaceX Set to Launch Critical Dragon Demonstration Mission Tonight (Mar. 2 @ 07:49 UTC; 2:49 AM EST)
