A flight-tested Dragon capsule has already been launched 20 times to the International Space Station (ISS). Following the CRS-28 mission’s successful launch and docking. There were a few US spaceflight records broken by SpaceX.
A Record-breaking Launch
Dragon spacecraft visited the orbiting outpost for the 38th time on CRS-28, breaking the previous record of the Space Shuttle. Currently, SpaceX is the only American firm performing crewed and resupply missions for NASA on a regular basis to the International Space Station (ISS). They will also launch three Cygnus resupply craft operated by Northrup Grumman later this year. Northrup Grumman is retiring its Antares 230+ rocket.
With 1,324 days in orbit after its first full day in space, Dragon 2 also surpassed the previous American record for the longest stay in orbit. On its fourth trip to the ISS, the Dragon capsule C208 is carrying out the CRS-28 mission. On Tuesday, June 6th, at 5:54 AM ET, Dragon C208 docked with the International Space Station (ISS), bringing almost 7000 lbs.’ of supplies and experiments. Two IROSAs (International Space Station Roll out Solar Arrays), which are also on board and are housed in the spacecraft’s trunk, will give the space station more electricity.
Inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Capsule | Space Launch LIVE
Continued Efforts
Falcon 9 B1077, which has launched five times already, including the Crew-5 trip to the ISS, launched this mission. Following stage separation, the first stage made a successful landing on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” and while the first stage was making its touchdown, the second stage continued to burn in order to place the Dragon capsule into the required orbit so that it could catch up to the ISS. Because the entire MVAC engine bell was unnecessary for the second stage, a shorter version of it was used instead, allowing SpaceX to save money on materials.
SpaceX will continue delivering supplies and transporting passengers to and from the orbiting outpost for many years to come, most likely breaking quite a few more spaceflight records. This is because the International Space Station is intended to be utilized for a very long time.
