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SpaceX Crewed Dragon Circumlunar Mission
by
Chris Bergin
on 27 Feb, 2017 18:42
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#1
by
Rebel44
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:29
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#2
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:31
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#3
by
gongora
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:32
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Do we need a poll on whether SpaceX will fly people around the moon before Commercial Crew certification is finished?
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#4
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:33
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#5
by
Marslauncher
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:33
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http://www.spacex.com/news/2017/02/27/spacex-send-privately-crewed-dragon-spacecraft-beyond-moon-next-year
We are excited to announce that SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the moon late next year. They have already paid a significant deposit to do a moon mission. Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration. We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year. Other flight teams have also expressed strong interest and we expect more to follow. Additional information will be released about the flight teams, contingent upon their approval and confirmation of the health and fitness test results.
Most importantly, we would like to thank NASA, without whom this would not be possible. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which provided most of the funding for Dragon 2 development, is a key enabler for this mission. In addition, this will make use of the Falcon Heavy rocket, which was developed with internal SpaceX funding. Falcon Heavy is due to launch its first test flight this summer and, once successful, will be the most powerful vehicle to reach orbit after the Saturn V moon rocket. At 5 million pounds of liftoff thrust, Falcon Heavy is two-thirds the thrust of Saturn V and more than double the thrust of the next largest launch vehicle currently flying.
Later this year, as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, we will launch our Crew Dragon (Dragon Version 2) spacecraft to the International Space Station. This first demonstration mission will be in automatic mode, without people on board. A subsequent mission with crew is expected to fly in the second quarter of 2018. SpaceX is currently contracted to perform an average of four Dragon 2 missions to the ISS per year, three carrying cargo and one carrying crew. By also flying privately crewed missions, which NASA has encouraged, long-term costs to the government decline and more flight reliability history is gained, benefiting both government and private missions.
Once operational Crew Dragon missions are underway for NASA, SpaceX will launch the private mission on a journey to circumnavigate the moon and return to Earth. Lift-off will be from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Pad 39A near Cape Canaveral – the same launch pad used by the Apollo program for its lunar missions. This presents an opportunity for humans to return to deep space for the first time in 45 years and they will travel faster and further into the Solar System than any before them.
Designed from the beginning to carry humans, the Dragon spacecraft already has a long flight heritage. These missions will build upon that heritage, extending it to deep space mission operations, an important milestone as we work towards our ultimate goal of transporting humans to Mars.
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#6
by
symbios
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:33
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SpaceX plans to send two people around the Moon
http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/27/14754404/spacex-moon-mission-2018-elon-musk-announces-private-citizen-passengers"The company expects to fly an uncrewed Dragon 2 with Falcon 9 to ISS by the end of this year. There will be another mission six months later with a NASA crew. Six months after that, if all goes as planned, is when the two people would fly around the Moon.
If NASA decides they want to do the first lunar mission, NASA would have priority. For its part, SpaceX expects to do more than one Moon mission. “Next year is going to be the big year for carrying people,” says Musk. Other flight teams have already expressed interest in going on future trips."
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#7
by
Star One
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:34
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It wouldn't surprise me if one of them might be James Cameron, don't forget the guy is an adventurer and billionaire.
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#8
by
andrewsdanj
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:34
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Awesome! Even more ambitious than the predictions...
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#9
by
shooter6947
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:35
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Sounds like a free-return trajectory, presumably, without a SM for a lunar orbit insertion burn and later trans-Earth injection?
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#10
by
CraigLieb
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:36
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Apollo 8!!! so much for the suits!
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#11
by
First Mate Rummey
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:36
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#12
by
clongton
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:37
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I'm a happy camper. This is wonderful news.
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#13
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:39
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#14
by
clongton
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:40
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Apollo 8!!! so much for the suits!
Not quite. Apollo 8 actually entered lunar orbit. This mission would not do that but swing around the far side of the moon on a free return trajectory without entering lunar orbit.
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#15
by
matthewkantar
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:41
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Space tourism is a side show. I hope these stunt persons paid full price for this. Seems to have little upside and many possible pitfalls. This make SpaceX seem less serious.
Matthew
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#16
by
DaveS
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:42
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Apollo 8!!! so much for the suits!
Apollo 8 was lunar-orbital, not circumlunar. Think Apollo 13 instead and the Soviet Zond missions.
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#17
by
jpo234
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:42
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Apollo 8!!! so much for the suits!
Not quite. Apollo 8 actually entered lunar orbit. This mission would not do that but swing around the far side of the moon on a free return trajectory without entering lunar orbit.
Apollo 13 then, hopefully without the drama.
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#18
by
Jet Black
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:42
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I wonder if this is the real reason red dragon was delayed
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#19
by
Welsh Dragon
on 27 Feb, 2017 20:44
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Space tourism is a side show. I hope these stunt persons paid full price for this. Seems to have little upside and many possible pitfalls. This make SpaceX seem less serious.
Matthew
It provides them with 'deep' space tracking and control experience, long-ish term ECLSS experience, BEO reentry experience and brings in hard cash. Can't see how this is anything but a win-win-win-win situation.
