SpaceX CRS-20 (CRS-20), also known as SpaceX-20, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

(ISS) launched on 7 March 2020. The mission was contracted by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

and was flown by

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...

using Dragon. This was SpaceX's last flight for Dragon 1 and concluded the NASA

Commercial Resupply Services Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) are a series of flights awarded by NASA for the delivery of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) on commercially operated spacecraft. The first CRS contracts were signed in 2008 and awarde ...

(CRS-1) contract extension. The twenty (20) missions by SpaceX under the CRS-1 contract carried more than 43,000 kg (94,000 pounds) of cargo to the International Space Station, and returned about 33,000 kg (74,000 pounds) of equipment and specimens to

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

, according to

. The second contract (CRS-2) was awarded in January 2016 and began with the

SpaceX CRS-21 SpaceX CRS-21, also known as SpX-21, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station which launched on 6 December 2020. The mission was contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX using a Cargo Dragon 2. This was t ...

in December 2020 using

Dragon 2 Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, primarily for flights to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has also launched private missions such as Ins ...

. The Dragon capsule C112 used for CRS-20 previously flew to the ISS on

CRS-10 SpaceX CRS-10, also known as SpX-10, was a Dragon Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station (ISS) which launched on 19 February 2017. The mission was contracted by NASA as part of its Commercial Resupply Services pr ...

and CRS-16. It arrived at the ISS on 9 March 2020 at 10:25 UTC and was captured by the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, the last capture of a Dragon with Canadarm2. Cargo Dragon 2 vehicles, which will replace Dragon 1, will dock directly at the space station. The 1st stage booster B1059 previously supported the CRS-19 mission.

Launch schedule history

In February 2016, it was announced that NASA had awarded a contract extension to SpaceX for five CRS additional missions ( CRS-16 to CRS-20). In June 2016, NASA Inspector General report had this mission manifested for 2019, but by June 2019 the launch had been pushed back to March 2020.

Payload

NASA contracted for the CRS-20 mission from SpaceX and therefore determines the primary payload, date of launch, and

orbital parameters Orbital elements are the parameters required to uniquely identify a specific orbit. In celestial mechanics these elements are considered in two-body systems using a Kepler orbit. There are many different ways to mathematically describe the same ...

for the Dragon CRS. The CRS-20 mission carries 1977 kg of cargo to ISS. * Science investigations: 960 kg * Vehicle hardware: 219 kg * Crew supplies: 273 kg * Spacewalk equipment: 56 kg * Computer resources: 1 kg * Unpressurized payloads: Bartolomeo Platform 468 kg Bartolomeo (named for the younger brother of explorer Christopher Columbus), is an external payload platform developed by Airbus Defence and Space, German-built and operated by the

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...

. Bartolomeo provides power and data transmission for up to 12 payload slots and is the first external commercial research platform to be installed on the ISS. Along with Bartolomeo, the Dragon cargo mission delivers about a ton of scientific experiments, including biological research investigations studying microgravity's impact on stem cells, intestinal diseases and chemical reactions. The Bartolomeo platform was robotically removed from Dragon's trunk section and installed outside ISS on 2 April 2020. A spacewalk to route power and communication wiring to the Bartolomeo facility for activation has been postponed. The EVA was originally planned in mid-April 2020, but the space station will not be at full staffing level of six crew members until autumn 2020. When activated, Columbus will have a new outdoor deck to host a range of materials science, Earth observation and space science instruments. Interoperable Radio System (IORS) is the foundation element of the

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), operating in the Amateur-satellite service, is a project sponsored by various entities and carried out by astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station who also have an a ...

(ARISS) next-generation radio system on ISS. A total of 4 flight units and 10 total units are being built by the ARISS hardware team. The first IORS radio system shipped on CRS-20 was installed in the ISS Columbus module by

Expedition 63 Expedition 63 was the 63rd long duration mission to the International Space Station, which began on 17 April 2020 with the undocking of the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft and continued until the undocking of the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft on 21 October 20 ...

Commander, Chris Cassidy on 2 September 2020. System activation was first observed at 01:02 UTC on 2 September 2020 by ARISS control station and amateur radio ground operators. Initial operation of the new radio system began as an FM cross band repeater. A second IORS flight unit is expected to be launched on a later 2020 cargo flight for installation in the Russian Service module. ISS National Laboratory The Dragon spacecraft was also packed with spare parts and replacement hardware for the space station's research facilities and life support systems. The components included upgraded hardware for the station's

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excreted from the body through the urethra. Cellular ...

processing system, which converts human waste into drinking water. The new components allow NASA teams to test out modifications designed to extend the lifetime of the urine processing system's distillation assembly ahead of future missions to the Moon and Mars, which will require longer-lasting life support equipment.

References

External links

NASA

SpaceX official page for the Dragon spacecraft

Amateur Radio on the ISS (ARISS)

Bartolomeo contract
{{DEFAULTSORT:CRS 020 SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft launched in 2020 SpaceX payloads contracted by NASA Supply vehicles for the International Space Station March 2020 events in the United States Spacecraft which reentered in 2020

Launch schedule history

Payload

See also

References

External links