DRAGON C1

DRAGON C1 is no longer on orbit
DRAGON C1 is classified as:

Experimental

NORAD ID: 37244

Int'l Code: 2010-066A

Launch date: December 8, 2010
Source: United States (US)
Launch site: AIR FORCE EASTERN TEST RANGE (AFETR)
Decay date: 2010-12-08

Space X launched an unmanned spacecraft and returned it safely to Earth in a test flight to demonstrate future ferry flights to the International Space Station. The 180-foot (55-m) tall Falcon 9 launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with an active Dragon C1 craft at 10:43 am EST, following a brief delay due to a technical issue. The white candle stick darted straight up and then out over the central Atlantic Ocean on a chilly, beautiful morning along the Space Coast. The Falcon 9 later delivered the Dragon module into an orbital inclination of 34.53 degrees, and an altitude of about 140 miles (225 km). The active cargo craft performed two orbits of earth testing on board systems and performing several firings of its eighteen cone-shaped thrusters. The Dragon, loaded with patches, ID badges and not much else from the company's hundreds of employees, completed two orbits of the earth before being maneuvered for it's return to Earth. The craft made an on target splashdown at 2:04 pm about 500 miles (800 km) east of the Mexican coastline.