[Get a 10% discount on ARM TechCon 2012 conference passes by using promo code EDIT. Click here to learn about the show and register.] <\/p>\n
SpaceX (Hawthorne, Calif.), the first commercial space company to send a cargo ship to the space station, is scheduled to launch its first resupply mission under a NASA contract on Oct. 7. SpaceX successfully berthed its unmanned Dragon cargo ship to the station in May, fulfilling the requirements of a NASA contract that clears the way for 12 resupply missions under the space agencys Commercial Resupply Services initiative. <\/p>\n
NASA said SpaceX will ferry about 1,000 pounds of supplies to the space station during the CRS-1 mission, including items being used for a range of scientific experiments. Dragon will return to Earth about 734 pounds of science experiments and space station hardware. <\/p>\n
While NASA confirmed the readiness of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon capsule, previous SpaceX launches have been delayed by NASA to verify mission software essential for guiding the unmanned craft to the space station. <\/p>\n
The space station commercial resupply program replaces the space shuttle, which was retired by NASA last year. <\/p>\n
Related stories: <\/p>\n
Elon Musk and testing as if your life depended on it <\/p>\n
'Berthing' a commercial space industry <\/p>\n
Adam Steltzner, NASA's hipster rocket engineer <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
See original here:<\/p>\n
SpaceX booked for October return to space station<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [Get a 10% discount on ARM TechCon 2012 conference passes by using promo code EDIT. Click here to learn about the show and register.] SpaceX (Hawthorne, Calif.), the first commercial space company to send a cargo ship to the space station, is scheduled to launch its first resupply mission under a NASA contract on Oct. 7. Continue reading