SpaceX CRS-31

SpaceX CRS-31

Names	CRS SpX-31
Mission type	ISS resupply
Operator	SpaceX
COSPAR ID	2024-200A
SATCAT no.	61790
Mission duration	18 hours, 37 minutes (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Cargo Dragon C208
Spacecraft type	Cargo Dragon
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Start of mission
Launch date	5 November 2024, 02:29:31 (5 November 2024, 02:29:31) UTC (4 November, 9:29:31 pm EST)[1]
Rocket	Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1083.5)
Launch site	Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	51.66°
Docking with ISS
Docking port	Harmony forward
Docking date	5 November 2024, 14:52:11 UTC
Time docked	6 hours, 15 minutes (in progress)
Cargo
Mass	2,762 kg (6,089 lb)
Pressurised	2,435 kg (5,368 lb)
Unpressurised	327 kg (721 lb)
SpaceX CRS-31 Mission patch Commercial Resupply Services ← NG-21 NG-22 → Cargo Dragon flights ← SpaceX CRS-30 SpaceX CRS-32 →

SpaceX CRS-31, sometimes identified by NASA as CRS SpX-31, is an in progress American cargo spacecraft flight to the International Space Station (ISS), which launched on November 4th 2024. The mission is operated by SpaceX under a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The spacecraft is a Cargo Dragon, serial number C208. This mission marks capsule C208's fifth flight.

NASA and SpaceX are currently targeting no earlier than early November for the launch of CRS-31 from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.^[2][3]

The Cargo Dragon spacecraft is to be loaded with a total of 2,762 kilograms (6,089 lb) of cargo and supplies before its launch, including 2,435 kilograms (5,368 lb) of pressurised and 327 kilograms (721 lb) of unpressurised cargo.

The cargo manifest is broken down as follows:^[4]

• Crew supplies: 961 kg (2,119 lb)
• Science investigations: 917 kg (2,022 lb)
• Spacewalk equipment: 171 kg (377 lb)
• Vehicle hardware: 238 kg (525 lb)
• Computer resources: 20 kg (44 lb)

Various experiments will transported to the orbiting laboratory abord the Cargo Dragon. These are four of the projects highlighted by NASA:

The CODEX (COronal Diagnostic EXperiment) examines the solar wind, creating a globally comprehensive data to help scientists confirm theories for what heats the solar wind – which is a million degrees hotter than the Sun's surface – and sends it streaming out at almost a million miles per hour.

The investigation uses a coronagraph, an instrument that blocks out direct sunlight to reveal details in the outer atmosphere or corona. The instrument takes multiple daily measurements that determine the temperature and speed of electrons in the solar wind, along with the density information gathered by traditional coronagraphs. A diverse international team has been designing, building, and testing the instrument since 2019 at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.^[4]

A radiation tolerance experiment, ARTEMOSS, uses a live Antarctic moss, Ceratodon purpureus, to study how some plants better tolerate exposure to radiation and to examine the physical and genetic response of biological systems to the combination of cosmic radiation and microgravity. Little research has been done on how these two factors together affect plant physiology and performance, and results could help identify biological systems suitable for use in bioregenerative life support systems on future missions.

Mosses grow on every continent on Earth and have the highest radiation tolerance of any plant. Their small size, low maintenance, ability to absorb water from the air, and tolerance of harsh conditions make them suitable for spaceflight. NASA chose the Antarctic moss because that continent receives high levels of radiation from the Sun.^[4]

The Euro Material Ageing investigation from the European Space Agency includes two experiments studying how certain materials age while exposed to space. The first experiment, developed by Centre National d'Études Spatiales, includes materials selected from 15 European entities. The second experiment looks at organic samples and their stability or degradation when exposed to ultraviolet radiation not filtered by Earth's atmosphere.

Predicting the behavior and lifespan of materials used in space can be difficult because facilities on the ground cannot simultaneously test for all aspects of the space environment. The exposed samples are recovered and returned to Earth.^[4]

Nanolab Astrobeat investigates using cold welding to repair perforations in the outer shell or hull of a spacecraft from the inside. Less force is needed to fuse metallic materials in space than on Earth, and cold welding could be an effective way to repair spacecraft.

Some micrometeoroids and space debris traveling at high velocities could perforate the outer surfaces of spacecraft, possibly jeopardizing mission success or crew safety. The ability to repair impact damage from inside a spacecraft may be more efficient and safer for crew members. Results also could improve applications of cold welding on Earth as well.^[4]

CRS-31 will be the first Dragon to perform an ISS "reboost". On 8 November 2024, Cargo Dragon C208 will fire its aft-facing Draco thrusters for 12+1⁄2 minutes.^[5] This reboost test will aid in developing the SpaceX United States Deorbit Vehicle as changes in orbit, trajectory and velocity will be carefully observed.^[6] The American Cygnus and Russian Progress cargo spacecraft also regularly perform reboosts during missions to the ISS. These periodic reboosts counteract atmospheric drag on the station.^[7][8]

• Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station

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