NASA astronauts took the SpaceX Spacecraft to ride to another port, making room for the next crew Dragon mission.
The short mission was carried out as a port relocation was in order for a future space endeavor to take place that is destined to carry a solar array for the International space station.
SpaceX Resilience spacecraft was flown by a crew of four from the international space station on Monday. Resilience was resting at the International Space Station’s dock number 2, and a team comprising of four astronauts took it on a small joy ride to dock number 3, allowing the space station team to carry a future “crew dragon mission.”
Astronaut Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walkerz, and Soichi naguchi flew the SpaceX spacecraft in a mission that NASA is terming as port relocation of the SpaceX Dragon aircraft. The international docking adapter 3 lies on the opposite side of the dock where the Resilience was initially parked at, before flying for 180 feet and a 38 minutes short trip towards the new spot where it will sit for a while. ISS has an internal connecting port system that allows convenient traveling to other labs and cargo stations.
The upcoming Crew Dragon Mission is planned to deliver giant solar panels, where robots will take over the works of solar panels installation in the station. Resilience is transported to dock number 3 because large robotic arms can only extend service till dock number 2; some vacant space was required to ensure a smooth installation of solar panels.
The mission being termed “Crew 2” will launch on 22nd April and will unlock the achievement of flying a crew of four to the international space station. Earlier, the Endeavor spacecraft took a team of two to the international space station marking it the first time a crewed mission was carried out on a SpaceX spacecraft.
