Departing today, was SpaceX’s shiny new droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG) ahead of their CRS-23 mission to resupply the International Space Station for NASA.
This weekend SpaceX is planning on launching a cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station to deliver more experiments and supplies. This will be the first launch from Florida since Transporter-2 launched back in June, ending a long drought of launches from the Space Coast.
This will also be the first launch to feature the new droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. This sleek new barge over went construction the last few months in Louisiana. The new design features smaller deck extensions, a large structure on the rear for equipment storage, and the ability to operate autonomously. While it is unlikely it will operate completely on its own for this mission, we might see them perform some more tests of their autonomous features.
Along with it went Finn Falgout, the regular tug that has accompanied most droneships missions this year. It also was the tug that brought it from Louisiana to Florida so it’s fitting for it to take it on the droneship’s first mission.
As of right now all looks well for the liftoff of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from LC-39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Weather reports should come out soon, of course it is storm season in Florida so that could be a concern to look out for.
Featured Image by Nick D’Alessandro for Space Explored
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