SpaceX to Send Dragon Capsule to the ISS in February

Next month will see an unprecedented event going on on the International Space Station (ISS). Astronauts living and working there will receive the first visit ever from a privately-built spacecraft, the Dragon capsule designed by Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX).

The company is under a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract with the American space agency, to construct a spacecraft capable of delivering supplies to the ISS within the next couple of years.
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Ultimately, the goal is to convert that capsule, called Dragon, into a manned spacecraft, capable of carrying 2-4 astronauts to the orbital outpost. SpaceX is already taking important steps in completing its objective, having completed two of its most important milestones in June and December 2010.

The company is developing the entire transport system needed to get to orbit on its own. The Dragon capsule is launched to space atop a Falcon 9 medium-lift delivery system, which was also designed and built entirely by SpaceX engineers.

The rocket took its maiden voyage without the capsule in June 2010. Six months later, the company conducted the first flight test with both vehicles, becoming a member of the very select group of countries that managed to launch a spacecraft in orbit, and then returned it safely to Earth.

Originally, the terms of the COTS agreement called for the company to conduct an additional flight test with Orion, before being allowed to try and dock with the ISS. The Russian Federal Space Agency opposed plans to merge the two flights into a single one, on safety grounds.

However, NASA decided to grant SpaceX the necessary permits to try for a docking maneuver. If successful, this would mark tremendous progress for the private spaceflight industry, and would demonstrate that the American space agency's gamble with this sector can indeed pay off.

During the upcoming test flight, the Dragon capsule will carry food, personal items and other cargo for the permanent crew aboard the ISS. Currently, launch is tentatively set for February 7, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), in Florida, Space reports.

“We're excited about that. Anytime you have a visiting vehicle coming by, that's an exciting day,” says NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who is currently a member of Expedition 30 on the orbital facility.