spaceflightinsider.com by Bart Leahy 3/31/2018
A file photo of a previous Dragon spacecraft at the International Space Station. The next mission, CRS-14, will launch as early as April 2, 2018. Photo Credit: NASA
SpaceX is set to send its next Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station with three tons of supplies and science. The CRS-14 mission will include materials to help the Expeditions 55 and 56 crews conduct and monitor more than 200 science and technology investigations.
As part of SpaceX’s effort to reduce the cost of spaceflight, Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) 14 will lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 using previously flown hardware. The mission will use a Falcon 9 first stage last flown during the CRS-12 ascent and a Dragon cargo spacecraft that carried science and supplies for the CRS-8 mission.
CRS-14 will carry 5,800 pounds (2,631 kilograms) to ISS. In addition to the science and technology experiments, the mission will bring up basic supplies for astronauts and cosmonauts such as water, food, and clothing.
Liftoff is currently scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EDT (20:30 GMT) April 2, 2018. It will have a one-second launch window as rendezvousing with ISS is a carefully-timed dance of orbital mechanics. After entering orbit, the freighter will spend two days catching up with the outpost before being captured by the station’s robotic Canadarm2 on April 4 for a month-long stay.
More:
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/nasa/spacex-crs-14-mission-set-science/
