SpaceX CRS-15

Dragon spacecraft on approach to ISS
Mission type	ISS resupply
Operator	SpaceX
COSPAR ID	2018-055A
SATCAT no.	43522
Mission duration	Planned: 1 month Final: 35 days, 12 hours, 35 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Dragon C111.2
Spacecraft type	CRS Dragon
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Dry mass	4,200 kg (9,300 lb)
Dimensions	Height: 6.1 m (20 ft) Diameter: 3.7 m (12 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date	29 June 2018, 09:42 (2018-06-29UTC09:42) UTC[1]
Rocket	Falcon 9 FT
Launch site	Cape Canaveral SLC-40
Contractor	SpaceX
End of mission
Disposal	Recovered
Landing date	3 August 2018, 22:17 (2018-08-03UTC22:18) UTC[2]
Landing site	Pacific Ocean, off Baja California
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Inclination	51.6°
Berthing at ISS
Berthing port	Harmony nadir
RMS capture	2 July 2018, 10:54 UTC[3]
Berthing date	2 July 2018, 13:50 UTC[3]
Unberthing date	3 August 2018
RMS release	3 August 2018, 16:38 UTC[2]
Time berthed	31 days
Cargo
Mass	2,697 kg (5,946 lb)
Pressurised	1,712 kg (3,774 lb)
Unpressurised	985 kg (2,172 lb)
NASA SpX-15 mission patch Commercial Resupply Services ← OA-9E NG-10 →   Cargo Dragon ← SpaceX CRS-14 SpaceX CRS-16 →

SpaceX CRS-15, also known as SpX-15, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station launched 29 June 2018 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.^[1] The mission was contracted by NASA and flown by SpaceX.

Launch

In early 2015, NASA awarded a contract extension to SpaceX for three additional CRS missions (CRS-13 to CRS-15).^[4] In June 2016, a NASA Inspector General report had this mission manifested for April 2018,^[5] but this was pushed back, first to 6 June, to 9 June, to 28 June and finally to 29 June 2018.^[6]

The mission launched on 29 June 2018 at 09:42 UTC aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40.^[1] The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft rendezvoused with the International Space Station on 2 July 2018. It was captured by the Canadarm2 at 10:54 UTC and was berthed to the Harmony node at 13:50 UTC.^[3] On 3 August 2018, Dragon was released from ISS at 16:38 UTC and deorbited, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 5 hours later at 22:17 UTC, returning more than 1,700 kg (3,748 lb) of cargo to Earth.^[2]

It is reported that the Dragon spacecraft may have experienced some parachute anomaly during its flight to the ISS, but it did not prevent the capsule from successful splashdown.^[7]

Payload

NASA contracted for the CRS-15 mission from SpaceX and therefore determined the primary payload, date/time of launch, and orbital parameters for the Dragon space capsule. According to a NASA mission overview, CRS-15 carried a total of 2,697 kg (5,946 lb) of total cargo, divided between 1,712 kg (3,774 lb) of pressurized material and 985 kg (2,172 lb) of unpressurized cargo.^[8] The external payloads manifested for this flight were ECOSTRESS^[9][10] and a Latching End Effector for Canadarm2.^[8] CubeSats included on this flight were three Biarri-Squad satellites built by Boeing for a multinational partnership led by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, and three satellites making up the Japanese-sponsored Birds-2 program: BHUTAN-1 from Bhutan, Maya-1 from the Philippines, and UiTMSAT-1 from Malaysia.^[11] Furthermore, it contained an interactive artwork by artist Nahum entitled The Contour of Presence, a collaboration with the International Space University, Space Application Services and the European Space Agency.^[12]

The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:^[8]

• Science investigations: 1,233 kg (2,718 lb)
• Crew supplies: 205 kg (452 lb)
• Vehicle hardware: 178 kg (392 lb)
• Spacewalk equipment: 63 kg (139 lb)
• Computer resources: 21 kg (46 lb)
• Russian hardware: 12 kg (26 lb)
• External payloads: 985 kg (2,172 lb)
  • ECOSTRESS: 550 kg (1,213 lb)
  • Latching End Effector: 435 kg (959 lb)

Gallery