SpaceX's DragonEye to Fly on STS-127 Posted: July 9, 2009, compiled from public domain sources. Offically, STS-127 Detailed Test Objective (DTO) 701B, will test the sensor SpaceX's Dragon vehicle will use to approach the International Space Station. NASA's press kit says: On behalf of SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office (C3PO) is sponsoring the investigation of "DragonEye," a pulsed laser navigation sensor that SpaceX's Dragon vehicle would use to approach the International Space Station. The test is to gain confidence and experience with how the DragonEye sensor performs before the system is used on the vehicle's third demonstration which includes rendezvous with the station. The C3PO office manages the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) projects which has a Space Act Agreement with SpaceX. COTS is an effort by NASA to stimulate a commercial market for spaceflight services. According to SpaceX, its recoverable Dragon spacecraft is being designed to carry both pressurized and unpressurized cargo to the station. The Advanced Scientific Concepts (ASCs) "DragonEye" flash Light Intensification Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) relative navigation sensor is being tested on this mission. DragonEye has been baselined as SpaceX's primary relative navigation sensor. The DragonEye will mount to the shuttle's existing Trajectory Control System (TCS) carrier assembly on the Orbiter Docking System (ODS). SpaceX will be taking data in parallel with the shuttle's Trajectory Control Sensor (TCS) system. Both TCS and DragonEye will be "looking" at the retroreflectors that are on the station. After the flight, SpaceX will compare the data DragonEye collected against the data TCS collected and evaluate DragonEye's performance. The DragonEye will use a flash Light Intensification Detection and Ranging (Range) (LIDAR), which provides a three-dimensional image based on the time of flight of a single laser pulse from the sensor to the target and back. It provides both range and bearing information from targets that can reflect the light back such as the Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA)2 and those on the nadir side of station's Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The DragonEye sensor unit will also be able to operate with retroreflectors in the Field Of View (FOV) even at close range. The DragonEye sensor is eye-safe and will also be unpowered when docked to the station, so there are no safety concerns for spacewalks. SpaceX also will perform a ground-based space qualification program to ensure the sensor can withstand the rigors of launch and operation in a space environment, including tests such as vibration and thermal-vac. More Flight Tests To Come The COTS UHF Communications Unit (CUCU) is set to fly on STS-128 later this year. A unit on the Dragon vehicle and another on the ISS will provide dual-redundant digital radio communications during final approach and docking. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reports, the units will communicate health and status telemetry from the Dragon to the ISS crew, and basic commands from the ISS crew to the Dragon. The test units have passed qualification testing and four units are now in production. About SpaceX SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft intended to increase the reliability and reduce the cost of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of 10. With the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 vehicles, SpaceX offers highly reliable/cost-efficient launch capabilities for spacecraft insertion into any orbital altitude and inclination. Starting in 2010, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft will provide Earth-to-LEO transport of pressurized and unpressurized cargo, including resupply to the space station. Founded in 2002, the SpaceX team now numbers over 700, with corporate headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif.

References "Space Exploration Technologies Corporation", retrieved July 9, 2009. http://www.spacex.com/. "Space Exploration Technologies Corporation - Dragon Overview", retrieved July 9, 2009. http://www.spacex.com/dragon.php. "Space Shuttle Mission STS-127, A Porch in Space, Press Kit", June 2009. http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/358018main_sts127_press_kit.pdf, DTO 701B section quoted in full. "COTS Status Update & Crew Capabilities - SpaceX", June 17, 2009. http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/361838main_11%20-%20SpaceX%20Augustine%20Briefing%20-%20Public%20Session.pdf. DragonEye section, photos used without permission. Also see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O81Zq02eStg. "Space Exploration Technologies Corporation - Falcon 9 Updates", June 16, 2009. Avionics section, photo used without permission. "Space Exploration Technologies Corporation - Falcon 9 Overview", retrieved July 9, 2009. http://www.spacex.com/falcon9.php.

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