The Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit (Dragon C100) was a boilerplate version of the Dragon spacecraft manufactured by SpaceX. After using it for ground tests to rate Dragon's shape and mass in various tests, SpaceX launched it into low Earth orbit on the maiden flight of the Falcon 9 rocket, on June 4, 2010. SpaceX used the launch to evaluate the aerodynamic conditions on the spacecraft and performance of the carrier rocket in a real-world launch scenario, ahead of Dragon flights for NASA under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program. The spacecraft orbited the Earth over 300 times before decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 27 June.[3]
Mission type | Technology demonstration |
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Operator | SpaceX |
COSPAR ID | 2010-026A ![]() |
SATCAT no. | 36595 |
Mission duration | 22 days |
Orbits completed | 359[1] |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Dragon C100 |
Manufacturer | SpaceX |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 4 June 2010, 18:45 (2010-06-04UTC18:45Z) UTC[2] |
Rocket | Falcon 9 v1.0 F1 |
Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |
Contractor | SpaceX |
End of mission | |
Reentry | 27 June 2010, 00:50 (2010-06-27UTC00:51Z) UTC |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Perigee altitude | 249.5 kilometers (155.0 mi)[2] |
Apogee altitude | 252.5 kilometers (156.9 mi)[2] |
Inclination | 34.5 degrees |
Epoch | 26 June 2010 22:58:50[1] |
![]() SpaceX Dragon |
In September 2009, the launch was slated to occur no earlier than November 29, 2009,[4] however the launch was subsequently postponed ten more times, to launch dates in February, March, April, May, and June 2010,[5] for multiple reasons including finding an open launch date, approvals, and retesting. The launch date was eventually set for June 4, 2010.
On October 16, 2009, nine Merlin 1C engines of the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket intended to launch the Dragon C100 were test fired at SpaceX's rocket engine test facility in McGregor, Texas. On January 2, 2010, the second stage of the Falcon 9 vehicle was test fired for the full duration required for orbital insertion, 345 seconds. By late February, the launch vehicle had been assembled and raised to its vertical position on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40),[6] having been rolled out to the launch pad on February 19.[7]
On March 13, 2010, the first stage engines successfully underwent a 3.5 second static test firing,[8] having failed a previous attempt the day before.[9]
SpaceX announced in September 2009 that the Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit would be the payload for the first Falcon 9 launch.[10] At the time, launch was scheduled to occur no earlier than November 2009. The launch date had been delayed several times for various reasons, The spacecraft was launched and entered orbit on June 4, 2010.[11]
The first actual launch attempt targeted a four-hour launch window opening at 15:00 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) on 4 June 2010,[12] with the possibility of a launch attempt the following day in the event that launch did not occur inside the 4 June window. The first attempt to launch the rocket, at 17:30 UTC, was aborted seconds prior to liftoff due to a reported out of range engine parameter, which later turned out to be a sensor error. The launch was rescheduled, with a successful liftoff taking place an hour and fifteen minutes later at 18:45 UTC (2:45 pm EDT).[13] The vehicle reached orbit successfully, entering into a 250 km (160 mi) orbit.[14]
The rocket experienced "a little bit of roll at liftoff" as Ken Bowersox from SpaceX put it. This roll had stopped prior to the craft reaching the top of the lightning towers.[15] A separate issue involved a moderate, uncorrected roll at the end of the second stage firing.[16] The first stage, that is designed to be reusable, disintegrated during reentry, before the parachutes could be deployed.[17]
Following the launch, SpaceX left the qualification unit in low Earth orbit, where its orbit was allowed to decay and it reentered the atmosphere around 00:50 GMT on June 27, 2010.[18] The qualification unit remained attached to the second stage of the launcher; production units separate for orbital maneuvering.[19]
SpaceX lost contact with the Dragon C100 and the Falcon 9 second stage shortly after orbit was achieved, as the on-board batteries were only designed to last long enough to launch. They re-entered in the early morning hours (UTC) on June 27, 2010. Although exact location is uncertain, it is believed to have disintegrated over Syria and Iraq.[18]
At around 5:30 am local time on June 5, 2010, sightings of a mysterious "lollipop-type swirl" light or cloud heading from west to east were reported in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland, as well as the Australian Capital Territory. The sightings were likened to the Russian RSM-56 Bulava rocket launch that prompted similar video and images from the Arctic known as the 2009 Norwegian spiral anomaly; it was suggested that the visible object was the spent upper stage or the qualification unit launched aboard the Falcon 9 or both.[20]
Cape Canaveral – After being removed from the U.S. Air Force's 45th Space Wing's launch schedule for five months, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is back on the board. The most recent 90-day Eastern Range forecast released Tuesday has the new rocket's maiden launch planned for November 29 at 11 am local time.
Over the weekend, SpaceX rolled their Falcon 9 launch vehicle out to the launchpad at Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral.
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SpaceX launch vehicles |
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Falcon 1 missions |
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Falcon 9 missions |
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Starship missions | Polaris Program third flight, dearMoon, two Starship HLS flights | ||||||||||||||||
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← 2009 · Orbital launches in 2010 · 2011 → | |
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Compass-G1 | Globus-1M No.12L | Progress M-04M | STS-130 (Tranquility · Cupola) | SDO | Intelsat 16 | Kosmos 2459 · Kosmos 2460 · Kosmos 2461 | GOES 15 | Yaogan 9A · Yaogan 9B · Yaogan 9C | EchoStar XIV | Soyuz TMA-18 | STS-131 (Leonardo MPLM) | CryoSat-2 | GSAT-4 | Kosmos 2462 | USA-212 | SES-1 | Kosmos 2463 | Progress M-05M | STS-132 (Rassvet · ICC-VLD) | Akatsuki · IKAROS (DCAM-1 · DCAM-2) · Shin'en · Waseda-SAT2 · Hayato · Negai ☆'' | Astra 3B · COMSATBw-2 | USA-213 | SERVIS-2 | Compass-G3 | Badr-5 | Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit | STSAT-2B | Shijian XII | Prisma · Picard · BPA-1 | Soyuz TMA-19 | TanDEM-X | Ofek-9 | Arabsat-5A · Chollian | Progress M-06M | EchoStar XV | Cartosat-2B · AlSat-2A · StudSat · AISSat-1 · TIsat-1 | Compass-IGSO1 | Nilesat 201 · RASCOM-QAF 1R | Yaogan 10 | USA-214 | Tian Hui 1 | Kosmos 2464 · Kosmos 2465 · Kosmos 2466 | Chinasat-6A | Gonets-M No.2 · Kosmos 2467 · Kosmos 2468 | Progress M-07M | Michibiki | USA-215 | Yaogan 11 · Zheda Pixing 1B · Zheda Pixing 1C | USA-216 | Kosmos 2469 | Chang'e 2 | Shijian 6G · Shijian 6H | Soyuz TMA-01M | XM-5 | Globalstar 73 · Globalstar 74 · Globalstar 75 · Globalstar 76 · Globalstar 77 · Globalstar 79 | Progress M-08M | Eutelsat W3B · BSat 3B | Compass-G4 | Meridian 3 | Feng Yun 3B | COSMO-4 | SkyTerra-1 | STPSat-2 · RAX · O/OREOS · FASTSAT (NanoSail-D2) · FalconSat-5 · Sara-Lily · Emma | USA-223 | Chinasat-20A | Intelsat 17 · Hylas 1 | Glonass-M No.39 · Glonass-M No.40 · Glonass-M No.41 | SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 1 · Mayflower · SMDC-ONE 1 · QbX-1 · QbX-2 · Perseus 000 · Perseus 001 · Perseus 002 · Perseus 003 | Soyuz TMA-20 | Compass-IGSO2 | GSAT-5P | KA-SAT| Alsat-2A | |
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets). |