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SpaceX and NASA are gearing up to achieve a key milestone in the Commercial Crew Program by flying the Crew Dragon spacecraft for the sixth time. The flight, via the upcoming Crew 11 mission, will mark the first time that the Crew Dragon spacecraft attempts a sixth mission, with the ship responsible for the mission being the Crew Dragon Endeavor which was the first crewed spaceflight mission for SpaceX.Crew Dragon.
SpaceX, NASA Develop New Heat Shield For Crew Dragon Spacecraft
NASA's program manager for the Commercial Crew Program, Steve Stich, shared key upgrades that the agency and SpaceX have worked on as part of the Crew Dragon's upcoming historic sixth flight to the International Space Station (ISS). Stich started in a press conference earlier today by explaining that SpaceX had designed new rogue parachutes for the Dragon spacecraft. The Drogue 3.1 parachutes strengthen the parachute's crown and improve the vehicle's safety during landing.
The SpaceX Crew 11 will mark the 5th Dragon mission of 2025 and SpaceX's 4th human spaceflight mission this year. The firm and NASA are also working to certify the spacecraft for 15 flights and extend its mission to eight months, shared Stich. As part of the 15-flight certification process, "SpaceX ran testing for many components out to 15 flights," according to the NASA official.
As a result, "many components" in the ship are cleared to fly 15 times while a few "have only [been] cleared up to sixth flight," he explained. The structures yet to be certified include "some of the structural components," the weldment structures and the tubes that go through to take helium from the helium tanks to the propellant tanks.
SpaceX's director of Dragon Mission Management, Sarah Walker, shared additional details about the upcoming mission. According to her, the Crew 11 Dragon will be transported to the fueling facility tomorrow before heading to the hangar. As for the 15-flight certification, Walker outlined that 70% of the ship's components will be fully certified to be able to conduct 15 flights, while the certifications for the remaining components will fall between six to 15 flights. SpaceX's goal is to become "100% qualified" with respect to demonstrating "15x flights," she shared.
Stich revealed additional details for the new heat shield that SpaceX has designed for the Dragon spacecraft. "It's a very big composite piece," he said, adding that the previous shield was very hard to manufacture due to the laminate or the "skin" in the shield and the splices that get bonded in to add strength in.
This complexity made it difficult to achieve the correct strength, he outlined. As a result, SpaceX designed and built a new heat shield that gives better capability for landing speed, improved structure and easy manufacturing, according to the NASA official.
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