Names | SpX-22 |
---|---|
Mission type | ISS resupply |
Operator | SpaceX |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Cargo Dragon |
Manufacturer | SpaceX |
Dry mass | 9525 kg |
Dimensions | Height: 8.1 m Diameter: 4 m |
Power | watts |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 3 June 2021 (planned) [1][2] |
Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
Contractor | SpaceX |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Inclination | 51.66° |
Docking with ISS | |
Docking port | Harmony zenith |
Docking date | 4 June 2021 |
Undocking date | 2021 |
![]() SpaceX CRS-22 mission patch |
SpaceX CRS-22, also known as SpX-22, is a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station planned to be launched NET June 3, 2021.[1][2] The mission is contracted by NASA and will be flown by SpaceX using a Cargo Dragon. This will be the second flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2 contract awarded in January 2016.
SpaceX plans to reuse the Cargo Dragons up to five times. The Crew Dragon capsules, used on missions with astronauts, are not planned to be initially reused. The Cargo Dragon will launch without SuperDraco abort engines, without passenger seats, cockpit controls and life support system (LSS of ECLSS) required to sustain astronauts in space.[3][4] This newer design provides several benefits, including a faster process to recover, refurbish and re-fly versus the earlier Dragon CRS design used for ISS cargo missions.[5]
The new Cargo Dragon capsules under the NASA CRS Phase 2 contract will splash down under parachutes in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida, rather than the previous recovery zone in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California under the NASA CRS Phase 1 contract.[3][5]
NASA contracted for the CRS-22 mission from SpaceX and therefore determines the primary payload, date of launch, and orbital parameters for the Cargo Dragon.[6]
Deployable Space Systems' Solar Arrays, with new XTJ Prime space solar cells, will be delivered to the station in pairs in the unpressurized trunk of SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft during three resupply missions, beginning with the CRS-22 mission in June 2021. Another pair will be delivered to the ISS on CRS-23, followed by another on CRS-24. The installation of each new solar array will require two (2) spacewalks: one to prepare the worksite with a modification kit, and another to install the new panel.[7][8]
The new experiments arriving at the orbiting laboratory will inspire future scientists and explorers, and provide valuable insight for researchers.
NASA Glenn Research Center studies:[9]
ELaNa 36 : Ten (10) CubeSats are scheduled for deployment on this mission:[10]
Yet to be determined: SpaceICE, LinkSat, CLICK A
Beginning with returning capsules or lifting bodies under the CRS-2 contract, NASA reports major hardware (failed or expended hardware for diagnostic assessment, refurbishment, repair, or no longer needed) returning from the International Space Station. The SpaceX CRS-22 mission plans ends in July 2021 with re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean near the eastern coast of Florida with 0 kg (0 lb) of return cargo.[11]