According to a statement quoted by the Russian news site RIA Novosti, it would appear that Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) will not be allowed to dock its Dragon unmanned space capsule to the International Space Station (ISS) this year.
The company wanted to launch the spacecraft aboard its Falcon 9 medium-lift delivery system on November 30, and have it dock to the ISS. However, that is likely not going to happen now, since not all space agencies involved in the program favor such a hasty course of action.
At this time, NASA is still uncertain as to whether to permit the docking attempt. Under the terms of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) agreement it signed with the company, the agency must witness another space flight before allowing permission.
But SpaceX has been pleading with NASA to gain permission to conduct their two remaining test flights at the same time, merging them into a single mission, Under the new plan, the Dragon would carry out orbital maneuvers, but also attempt to dock with the ISS,
Universe Today reports.
In the recent statement, Vladimir Solovyov explained plainly that this will not happen, and that the Russian Federal Space Agency (RosCosmos) does not intend to give its permission at this time. The official is the head of the Russian-controlled segment of the ISS.
The agency has always been vocal about not allowing SpaceX to take its still poorly-tested spacecraft alongside the $100 billion ISS. The Russians say that the single test flight Dragon flew successfully does not entitle it to jeopardize the long-term international project.
RosCosmos officials say that they will allow the Hawthorne, California-based company to fly resupply runs to the ISS under its COTS agreement with NASA only at such a time that the Russian agency determines the Dragon capsule to be adequately-tested for such a mission.
One of the reasons why SpaceX is pushing so hard to get approvals is that the company is already 2 years behind schedule. It was supposed to complete the mission currently scheduled for November 30 back in 2009, but the schedule was pushed back by delays.
The concerns expressed by the Russians have a solid foundation, analysts comment, since it was only recently that SpaceX admitted having lost control over 2 Merlin engines on their Falcon 9 rocket during its ascent to orbit carrying Dragon in December 2010.
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