Soyuz: the world’s most reliable human spacecraft
by Susmita MohantyMar 10, 2023
•make your fridays matter with a well-read weekend
by Susmita MohantyPublished on : Nov 12, 2022
In an essay Elon Musk wrote in the early part of the new millennium, I remember Musk talking about how SpaceX is meant to counter China from gaining space superiority and surpassing the United States of America (USA). Musk’s space ambition had China in its cross-hair, so I was a little surprised when his company SpaceX christened its human and cargo ferry—Dragon, a nomenclature that sounds less American, more Chinese, even Celtic.
The reliance on Russia began in 2011 after NASA's ageing Shuttle quartet was decommissioned. The Russians who co-lead the ISS program with the Americans made up with additional flights of their hardy, reliable, iconic human ferry—the Soyuz.
The American human spaceflight program did not have a crew vehicle to ferry its astronauts to the ISS from July 2011 until the debut of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in 2020. The reliance on Russia continued for nine years until SpaceX Crew-13 mission flew in November 2020 as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program4 (CCP). Designated "USCV-1" by NASA in 2012, the Crew-1 launch date was delayed several times from the original date of November 2016.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience launched on November 16, 2020, on a Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, all members of the Expedition 645 crew. SpaceX Crew-1 created American spaceflight history in more ways than one:
The Crew-1 mission was scheduled to depart the ISS on April 28, 2021, but owing to the weather returned to Earth on May 2, 2021. The capsule splashed down, and was reused in 2021 on Inspiration49, the first all-civilian mission sent into orbit10. It was the first nighttime splashdown for NASA astronauts since Apollo 811 in 1968. On February 7, 2021, Crew-1 broke the record for the longest spaceflight by a USA crewed vehicle, surpassing the 84-day mark set by an Apollo capsule on the final flight to the Skylab 412 space station on February 8, 197413.
SpaceX’s original idea was to fly the Dragon spacecraft in a free-flying configuration called the DragonLab14. The original SpaceX manifest had two DragonLab missions, planned for launch in 2016 and 2018. However, these missions were removed from the company manifest in 2017, with no official statement from SpaceX. It is plausible that the DragonLab missions were scrapped in view of the Dragon successor—Dragon 2 meant to serve NASA’s CCP.
Dragon 215 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, primarily for flights to the International Space Station. SpaceX has also launched private missions such as Inspiration4 and Axiom Mission 1. Dragon 2 is capable of carrying up to seven passengers to and from Earth’s orbit. It is the only American spacecraft, currently flying, that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth, and is the first private spacecraft to take humans to the space station.16
Launched: 4 cargo, 8 crew (+2 suborbital)
Dimensions: Diameter: 4 m (13 ft); Height: 8.1 m (26.7 ft) (with trunk); Sidewall angle: 15°
Crew capacity: 4
Design life: 10 days (free flight); 210 days (docked to ISS)
Lost: 1 (in testing)
Payload capacity: 6,000 kg (13,228 lb) to orbit; 3,000 kg (6,614 lb) return cargo; 800 kg (1,800 lb) disposal cargo
(Cargo Dragon can carry 3,307 kg (7,291 lb) to the ISS)
Retired: Dragon 1 (prototype)
Capsule Volume 9.3 m³ / 328 ft³
Trunk Volume 37 m³ / 1300 ft³
The Dragon spacecraft is equipped with 16 Draco thrusters used to orient the spacecraft during the mission, including apogee/perigee manoeuvres, orbit adjustment, and attitude control. Each Draco thruster is capable of generating 90 pounds of force in the vacuum of space. The Dragon spacecraft is equipped with two drogue parachutes to stabilise the spacecraft following re-entry and four main parachutes to further decelerate the spacecraft prior to landing.17
NASA and SpaceX prepared for the fifth crew rotation mission of the company’s human space transportation system to the ISS. SpaceX Crew-5 mission18 was launched last month, to the microgravity laboratory for a science expedition mission with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, JAXA’s Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina.
The final crew member for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission, currently targeted to launch to the International Space Station in spring 2023, was announced recently19. The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) named Sultan Al Neyadi to spend approximately six months aboard the space station as part of Expeditions 68/69. Mission Specialist Al Neyadi joins NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, who will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the mission, and cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev of Roscosmos. The UAE astronaut corps has been in training with NASA at the Johnson Space Center since 2019, including spacewalk training, onboard systems, and T-38 training. Al Neyadi will continue crew member training for the Dragon spacecraft and international partner segments.
To ensure continuous USA presence aboard the ISS, NASA signed a contract in 2021 with Axiom Space to fly a NASA astronaut on a Soyuz rotation, in exchange for a seat on a future USA commercial crew spacecraft. Axiom announced an agreement in April 2022 with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center of the UAE to fly its crew member in the seat.
NASA continues to sign agreements and award contracts as part of the agency’s efforts to enable a robust, American-led commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) economy. In December 2021, NASA signed agreements with three USA companies to develop designs for space stations and other commercial destinations in space20. The total estimated award amount is $415.6 million. The companies that received awards are:
NASA seeks to maintain an uninterrupted USA presence in low-Earth orbit by transitioning from the ISS to other platforms. These awards will stimulate the USA private sector development of commercial, independent space stations that will be available to both government and private-sector customers.
References
1.https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html
2.https://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/september/nasa-chooses-american-companies-to-transport-us-astronauts-to-international
3.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Crew-1
4.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Crew_Program
5.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_64
6.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon_2
7.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crew_Dragon_Resilience
8.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-135
9.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspiration4
10.https://inspiration4.com/
11.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_8
12.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab_4
13.https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/04/05/crew-1-dragon-relocation-mission-status-center/
14.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon#Variants_and_derivatives
15.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon_2
16.https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/dragon/
17.https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/dragon/
18.https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2022/07/21/headline-nasa-spacex-provide-crew-5-hardware-operations-status/
19.https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2022/07/25/mission-specialist-assigned-to-crew-6-space-station-mission/
20.https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-companies-to-develop-commercial-destinations-in-space
STIRship Enterprise: a special series on space architecture and design
In this flagship series, spaceship designer and entrepreneur Dr Susmita Mohanty travels the cosmos with an expert’s lens to decode the future of life in space through design. STIRship Enterprise is a collection of essays to introduce terrestrial architects, engineers and designers to the world of Space Architecture + Design.
by Anushka Sharma Sep 26, 2023
In collaboration with media platform It’s Nice That, LEGO opens doors to a space that fosters creativity and calm in the midst of the bustling Shoreditch Design Triangle.
by LATOxLATO Sep 25, 2023
Francesco Breganze de Capnist and Virginia Valentini's design studio create a series of evocative wallpapers for Italian brand Inkiostro Bianco’s Flow line.
by Visionnaire Sep 19, 2023
The interior of Visionnaire’s project responds to and integrates the mystique of the sea through meticulous design and curation.
by Mrinmayee Bhoot Sep 19, 2023
Nice To Meet You Again, a spatial installation created in collaboration with Morag Myerscough, envisions a bucolic future rendered in striking colour at LDF 2023.
make your fridays matter
SUBSCRIBEDon't have an account?
Sign UpOr you can join with
Already signed up?
LoginOr you can join with
Please select your profession for an enhanced experience.
Tap on things that interests you.
Select the Conversation Category you would like to watch
Please enter your details and click submit.
Enter the code sent to
What do you think?