COTS Demo Flight 2

Delays

COTS Demo Flight 2 was to take place as early as 2010, but was delayed by internal SpaceX issues; and then in 2011 by NASA issues. As planned on the manifests, COTS 2 was to fly in June 2011. It was delayed to late 2011, and then followed by further delay by the failure of the Russian Progress 44 cargo resupply vessel in August; this incident could have forced the ISS to be temporarily abandoned in mid-November. Another delay was caused due to the berthing procedure which requires two ISS personnel to be trained and available for the procedure; in early December 2011 only one person was trained to berth the Dragon. The launch date moved as follows: 6 June 2011, 8 October 30 November and 19 December; and 7 January 2012, 30 April, and 7 May.