Satellite Technology Feature Article SpaceX Space Station Supply
Demo in Orbit By Doug Mohney, Contributing Editor If all goes
well, the Dragon spacecraft will berth with the International
Space Station (ISS) later this week, demonstrating the private
company’s ability to deliver supplies to the orbiting
$100-billion laboratory. The Falcon 9/Dragon successfully
launched from SpaceX’s licensed pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station at 3:44 AM eastern time. Once in orbit, the Dragon
deployed a pair of solar panels on its service module and
started its three day journey to line up with ISS’s orbit. “For
us it is like winning the Super Bowl,” said SpaceX CEO and Chief
Designer Elon Musk, expressing his gratitude to over 1,800
SpaceX employees and NASA. Over the next three days, the Dragon
service module and capsule will conduct a series of checkout
procedures and tests to demonstrate its ability to safety and
successfully rendezvous and berth with ISS. On Thursday, May 24,
Dragon will perform a 1.5-mile flyby “b