Crew Dragon Demo-2

Crew Dragon Demo-2
Clockwise from top left: Falcon 9 with Endeavour launches from LC-39A, Endeavour approaches the ISS, recovery of Endeavour
Names
  • Crew Demo-2
  • SpaceX Demo-2
  • Demonstration Mission-2
Mission typeFlight test
OperatorSpaceX
COSPAR ID2020-033A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.45623Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration63 days, 23 hours, 25 minutes, 21 seconds
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftCrew Dragon Endeavour
Spacecraft typeCrew Dragon
ManufacturerSpaceX
Launch mass12,519 kg (27,600 lb)[1]
Landing mass9,616 kg (21,200 lb)[1]
Crew
Members
ExpeditionExpedition 63
Start of mission
Launch date30 May 2020, 19:22:45 (30 May 2020, 19:22:45) UTC (3:22:45 pm EDT)[2]
RocketFalcon 9 Block 5 (B1058.1)
Launch siteKennedy, LC-39A
End of mission
Recovered byMV GO Navigator
Landing date2 August 2020, 18:48:06 (2 August 2020, 18:48:06) UTC (1:48:06 pm CDT)[3]
Landing siteGulf of Mexico, near Gulf Shores, Alabama (29°47′43″N 87°31′47″W / 29.79528°N 87.52972°W / 29.79528; -87.52972)[2]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking portHarmony forward[4]
Docking date31 May 2020, 14:27 UTC[5][6]
Undocking date1 August 2020, 23:35 UTC
Time docked62 days, 9 hours, 8 minutes

NASA and SpaceX mission patches

Behnken and Hurley

Crew Dragon Demo-2 (officially Crew Demo-2, SpaceX Demo-2, or Demonstration Mission-2)[a] was the first crewed test flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. The spacecraft, named Endeavour, launched on 30 May 2020[7][11][12] on a Falcon 9 rocket, and carried NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station in the first crewed orbital spaceflight launched from the United States since the final Space Shuttle mission in 2011, and the first ever operated by a commercial provider.[13] Demo-2 was also the first two-person orbital spaceflight launched from the United States since STS-4 in 1982. Demo-2 completed the validation of crewed spaceflight operations using SpaceX hardware and received human-rating certification for the spacecraft,[14][15] including astronaut testing of Crew Dragon capabilities on orbit.[15]

Docking was autonomously controlled by the Crew Dragon, but monitored by the flight crew in case manual intervention became necessary.[16] The spacecraft soft docked with the International Space Station on 31 May 2020, nineteen hours after launch. Following soft capture, 12 hooks were closed to complete a hard capture 11 minutes later.[5] Hurley and Behnken worked alongside the crew of Expedition 63 for 62 days, including four spacewalks by Behnken with fellow American astronaut Chris Cassidy to replace batteries brought up by a Japanese cargo vehicle. Endeavour autonomously undocked from the station on 1 August 2020 and thirteen hours later returned the astronauts to Earth in the first water landing by astronauts since 1975.[17]

  1. ^ a b Heiney, Anna (23 July 2020). "Top 10 Things to Know for NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 Return". nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020. At the time of undock, Dragon Endeavour and its trunk weigh approximately 27,600 pounds Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b "Crew Dragon SpX-DM2". Spacefacts. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Astronauts gear up for spacewalks amid planning for August Crew Dragon return". Spaceflight Now. 24 June 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  4. ^ Navin, Joseph (2 May 2020). "NASA, SpaceX enters the critical month of May on track to end the gap". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Crew Dragon Docks to Space Station". blogs.nasa.gov. NASA. 31 May 2020. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ Grush, Loren (31 May 2020). "SpaceX's Crew Dragon successfully docks with the space station". The Verge. Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  7. ^ a b "SpaceX launches: DEMO-2 LAUNCH". SpaceX. 26 May 2020. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  8. ^ Mclendon, Tori (23 May 2020). "NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 Astronauts Rehearse for Launch Day". NASA. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2022. ...ahead of NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 mission [...] favorable weather conditions for the SpaceX Demo-2 missionPublic Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ Cawley, James (25 May 2020). "NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 "Go" for Liftoff Wednesday After Today's Launch Readiness Review". blogs.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020. ...in advance of NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 flight test [...] NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 mission passed its final major review today... Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  10. ^ "Launch Mission Execution Forecast". 28 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  11. ^ Wattles, Jackie (27 May 2020). "Next attempt: Saturday at 3:22 pm EDT". CNN. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Upcoming Missions". SpaceX Now. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  13. ^ "SpaceX Speeding Astronauts to Space Station in Landmark Trip". Bloomberg News. 30 May 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  14. ^ Etherington, Darrell (1 May 2020). "SpaceX and NASA break down what their historic first astronaut mission will look like". Techcrunch. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  15. ^ a b Clark, Stephen (17 April 2020). "NASA, SpaceX set May 27 as target date for first crew launch". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference NASA DM2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Foust, Jeff (2 August 2020). "Crew Dragon splashes down to end successful test flight". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2020.


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