SpaceX Planning 15th Resupply Mission to ISS
- by Carmen Reese
- in Science
- — Jul 2, 2018
The spacecraft, packed with almost 2,700 kg of scientific gear, supplies and vehicle hardware, was lifted off at 5:42 a.m. local time (0942 GMT) from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The mission, which is part of a $1.6 billion contract between privately owned SpaceX and USA space agency NASA, should reach the station on July 2.
The launch formally ended the reign of the Falcon 9 Block 4 rocket as SpaceX makes way for its next-generation Block 5 boosters, which the company hopes to launch and re-use up to 100 times before they need replacing.
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The spacecraft will also deliver a Canadian-made Latching End Effector spare that is similarly built to the robotic arm the Canadarm2 uses to grapple spaceships and to roam the orbiting outpost.
To prepare CIMON for its trip to space, researchers trained the robot using photos and voice samples of German astronaut Alexander Gerst as well as ISS procedures and plans.
Robot's name for Coot Interactive Mobile Companion is CIMON - and it looks like volleyball with a computer screen on one side.
The unmanned rocket sent fresh space supplies for the International Space Station, as well as the first robot with artificial intelligence. Developed for Germany's DLR Space Administration by Airbus in collaboration with IBM, CIMON weighs around 11 pounds and is about the size of a medicine ball. Cimon's human handlers promise the first AI space bot will behave.
It is also created to interpret his emotional state. However, it will also show images or videos as needed.
Faclon 9 also bears an earth science instrument called ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) to measure and check how plants respond to the water availability in the outer space.
All being well, the new rocket could be used to carry astronauts to the International Space Station in future missions. The next-generation boosters feature improved reusability features and can be flown at least 10 times with minimal refurbishment and possibly up to 100 times with moderate work, according to CEO Elon Musk.
