“We can’t tell you exactly what month this launch is going to be”, Behnken said during a visit to Kennedy Space Center.
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Rubins and four-timer Jeff Williams routed a cable for an under-construction docking port at the International Space Station to allow commercial crafts to dock at the ISS by early 2018. To capitalize on improvements in technology since the original was designed, and to create a new global standard, space agencies around the world combined to create the “International Docking Adapter”.
Two Americans now stationed on the ISS, Jeff Williams and Kate Rubin, fitted the first of two docking adapters onto the orbital facility, which Nasa expects to see more and more use during the coming years.
NASA plans to sell off the International Space Station (ISS) to a commercial operator around the mid-2020s. “We are very excited to put this piece of hardware on the front of the station and get it all integrated and get ready to go”. Two NASA astronauts have installed the International Docking Adapter (IDA).
NASA had hoped to have the first of two new docking ports installed previous year, but the equipment was destroyed during a SpaceX cargo ship launch accident in June 2015.
“If you look at the original plan, it envisioned the launch of Multipurpose Laboratory Module to the ISS, and only then a crew increase”.
Jeff Williams, an experienced spacewalker, is joined by Kate Rubins, who is the twelfth female astronaut to perform a spacewalk.
With SpaceX and Boeing shouldering the load for delivering astronauts to orbit, it frees up NASA for grander things.
SpaceX is shooting for a launch of its supped-up Dragon with two astronauts as early as a year from now.
In response, 11 submissions “from a broad range of respondents including individuals, small companies and large companies”, came in, said Sam Scimemi, division director for the ISS program, in an e-mail to Bloomberg.
Boeing’s debut flight of its CST-100 Starliner capsule is expected in 2018.
In the meantime, other space firms are invested enough to want to improve the existing station. Last month, the new portal was blasted into orbit in a SpaceX Dragon craft, with the reusable first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket waking up a few Floridians as it sonic-boomed its way back to Earth.
Since 2012, SpaceX has run resupply missions for NASA and the ISS. In fact, CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk appears to be more interested to making it to planet Mars than building more commercial space stations. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.
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“We have a new port of call for the new USA commercial crew vehicles”, announced Mission Control commentator Rob Navias.
