SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2

SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2

• Type: Resupply
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
• Launch Cost: $59,000,000

SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2 (COTS 2), was the second test-flight for SpaceX’s uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft, launched on the third flight of the company’s two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The flight was performed under a funded agreement from NASA as the second Dragon demonstration mission in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. The purpose of the COTS program is to develop and demonstrate commercial sources for cargo re-supply of the International Space Station (ISS). The Dragon C2+ spacecraft was the first American vehicle to visit the ISS since the end of the Space Shuttle program. It was also the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous and berth with another spacecraft.

Space Launch Complex 40

Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Space Launch Complex 40 has witnessed the launch of 230 rockets, including 230 orbital launch attempts, while Cape Canaveral, FL, USA, has been the site for 940 rocket launches.

SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.0

The Falcon 9 v1.0 first stage was used on the first five Falcon 9 launches, and powered by nine SpaceX Merlin 1C rocket engines arranged in a 3×3 pattern.

Core B0005

Booster B0005 last launched 05/22/2012 and has seen 0 successful launches and landings. Array

Atlantic Ocean – ATL

Atlantic Ocean

Expended – EXP

Vehicle did not perform any landing operations after launch

SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.