updates
Crew-2 docks on a flown Falcon 9 and Dragon
On April 24, 2021, SpaceX said Crew-2 docked at 5:08 a.m. EDT on the first crew flight of a previously flown Falcon 9 and Dragon.
Topics: space-civilization
This page is an original Muskularity summary. It does not republish SpaceX’s full post. Figures are the company’s statements on the cited date unless another primary link is named.
Summary
Dragon docked to the station at 5:08 a.m. EDT (9:08 UTC) on April 24, 2021, after a launch from Kennedy LC-39A on April 23 at 5:49 a.m. EDT. SpaceX called it the first human flight on a flight-proven Falcon 9 and Dragon. The booster had flown Crew-1 in November 2020. The capsule had flown Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on Demo-2. The crew: NASA’s Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA’s Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA’s Thomas Pesquet. SpaceX also said it was the first Dragon crew with two international partners and the first time two Crew Dragons were berthed at the station together. Return was then planned no earlier than October 31, to the Atlantic off Florida. The actual splashdown is recorded in the November 8 post.
Key facts
| Fact | Label |
|---|---|
| Launch April 23, 2021, 5:49 a.m. EDT; docking April 24, 5:08 a.m. EDT | Company mission report |
| First crew mission on a flown booster and a flown Dragon | Company milestone claim |
| Two Crew Dragons at the station at once | Company mission report |
| Return then targeted no earlier than October 31 | Company plan at docking |
Why it matters
Reuse of the crew system is a different claim from cargo reuse. This post is SpaceX saying both the booster and the capsule on a NASA rotation had flown with people before.
On this site
Sources
- SpaceX update, April 24, 2021 — Grade A, company post
- NASA biography, Shane Kimbrough — Grade A, NASA
- NASA biography, Megan McArthur — Grade A, NASA
- JAXA biography, Akihiko Hoshide — Grade A, JAXA
- ESA biography, Thomas Pesquet — Grade A, ESA
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