Eight Dove Satellites to be Launched on SpaceX CRS-7 Mission
Right now, eight of our Dove satellites are packed in their NanoRacks deployers on SpaceX’s Dragon Capsule. We’re calling these satellites “Flock 1f”.
On Sunday, June 28, at 10:21am (EDT), the Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle will launch, carrying the Dragon capsule and Flock 1f to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX calls this mission: CRS-7, the seventh of twelve SpaceX ISS resupply missions.
The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket will launch in an instantaneous window from Cape Canaveral, Florida. If this launch window is missed by just a few seconds, the Dragon capsule will not be able to “catch up” with the ISS once in orbit. If weather projections hold, we expect the Falcon 9 to launch successfully within this window.
Once on board the ISS, Flock 1f will be deployed in the coming months.
CRS-6 launch from Cape Canaveral(April 14, 2015). Image: SpaceX
Following the launch, SpaceX will attempt to land the Falcon 9 booster on a floating drone ship in the Atlantic for a third time. Previous attempts, though unsuccessful, ended spectacularly. If this third attempt succeeds, and the booster is proven to be reusable, the cost of future launches will lower dramatically.
Watch the launch and the landing attempt Sunday on SpaceX’s livestream.
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