SPACE X "Falcon-9 v1.2 / Dragon"

CRS-8 (Cargo Resupply Services Mission 8)

SpaceX launched Dragon CRS-8 on the upgraded Falcon 9 v1.2 or also called Fullthrust on April 8, 2016 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SCL-40) of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

This was the Return to Flight mission , after their launch failure in 2015 during CRS-7 mission. As a milestone, the Falcon 9 First Stage successfully landed on the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) "Of Course I Still Love You" returning to the Atlantic Ocean from the edge of space and over five times the speed of sounc, the booster came in on target and touched down on the drone ship, remaining upright, further cementing SPACEX's place in space history with a successful rocket stage recovery at sea.

The payload inside the trunk section was the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), set for a 2 year stay to demonstrate expandable habitat technology in the space environment to pave the way for future missions of large inflatable modules. BEAM will be attached to the "Tranquility" Node 3 module.

For the first time in history, 2 US Commercial cargo vehicles are berthed at the ISS. In total, during this mission, 6 space vehicles are in port at the space station, including Dragon CRS-8, Cygnus OA-6, 2 Soyuz and 2 Progress freighters.

Dragon CRS-8

Falcon-9 v1.2 with Grid Fins and landing Legs

First Stage Landing Configuration

Source:

Space X website

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