NASA posted a live tweet to the effect that at 0:44 (UTC) on July 15, which is 20:44 EST on July 14, the Falcon 9 rocket and cargo "Dragon" "Spaceship" (hereinafter referred to as "Cargo Dragon") was launched, and it is expected that the spacecraft will dock with the international space station on July 16. The mission number of
is CRS-25, indicating that this is the 25th transportation mission of Space X. It is worth noting that this launch mission is different from the past: the Cargo Dragon spacecraft C208 used is a "new version" that has been refurbished twice. It may be more appropriate to call it C208-3.
In 2020~2021, C208 performed the 21st and 23rd orbital transportation missions respectively. The cabin was recycled twice, and now it has appeared at the launch site of CRS-25. This can’t help but make domestic netizens have a Guess: Is the 27th transportation mission still contracted to C208?
If there are no accidents, there is a high probability that this will be the case! The biggest feature of Dragon spacecraft is that it is recyclable. The number of times the cargo dragon spaceship is expected to be used up to 5 times . If this is true, let alone CRS-27, it is estimated that even the CRS-29 spacecraft has been "pre-decided" in advance.
International Space Station: How many cargo “customers” are there? Is the Cargo Dragon spaceship fully booked?
Currently, there are only two space stations operating in orbit, one is Chinese Space Station , and the other is the International Space Station. in. The total weight of the former after completion is about 180 tons, and the latter is about 480 tons, which is more than twice the difference. This is not difficult to understand. After all, the Chinese Space Station is unique to our country, while the International Space Station is a collaboration between multiple countries and is made up of modules from various countries.
The first component of the International Space Station was launched in November 1998. Since then, various countries have continued to launch new modules, and they are still "adding supplies" in 2021~2022. For 24 years, all kinds of components and living supplies required by the International Space Station have been supplied through cargo spacecraft.
So, who will take on the task of transporting goods? Currently, there are four "customers" delivering goods to the International Space Station, including Russia's "Progress" spacecraft, Japan's HTV spacecraft, the United States' Dragon spacecraft and the "Cygnus" spacecraft .
Of course, China's Tianzhou cargo spacecraft also has a strong carrying capacity, with a total uplink carrying weight of up to 6 tons, but this spacecraft is the "royal train" of the Chinese space station.
Tianzhou cargo spacecraft launches
Among many competitors, Space
Public information shows that the schedule of the Cargo Dragon series spacecraft in the next four years is already full. In 2022 alone, two flights are scheduled, namely CRS-25~26; there are three flights scheduled in 2023, namely CRS-27~ 29. The relevant spacecraft is being prepared. It is expected that from 2024 to 2026, the Cargo Dragon spacecraft will still maintain an average launch frequency of twice per year, for a total of 6 times.
Within the foreseeable period, Cargo Dragon has received as many as 11 launch opportunities, and each launch can earn considerable freight.
Shipped 25 times in 2010. What are the advantages of the Cargo Dragon spacecraft?Since its first flight in December 2010, the Cargo Dragon spacecraft has completed a total of 25 delivery missions in 10 years, and it has been in the limelight in recent years. So, what are the advantages of this spacecraft?
First of all, from the perspective of carrying capacity, the Cargo Dragon spacecraft performed well. The maximum uplink carrying capacity of is 6 tons, but in actual launch missions, the two cabins will not operate at full load, and the conventional carrying capacity is only 2 to 3 tons.
Take the C208 spacecraft as an example. According to the space.com website, the C208 spacecraft will provide the International Space Station with more than 82,630 kilograms of scientific equipment and supplies. Translation: no more than 3 tons. In the CRS-24 mission, the carrying capacity was only 82,989 kilograms of , and the CRS-23 was only 82,177 kilograms of .
Compared with other spacecraft, the actual carrying capacity of the Cargo Dragon spacecraft is at an upper-middle level.For comparison: the Russian "Progress" spacecraft has a carrying capacity of 2.6 tons, the "Cygnus" spacecraft has a carrying capacity of 3.5 tons, and the Japanese HTV spacecraft has a carrying capacity of 6 tons. Calculated purely based on uplink transport capacity, the Cargo Dragon spacecraft is clearly not far behind, ranking second in the world (the first is my country's Tianzhou cargo spacecraft, with a carrying capacity of 6.9 tons).
Secondly, the biggest advantage of the Cargo Dragon spacecraft is its downstream transportation capacity. According to Wikipedia , the outer shell of the Dragon spacecraft is equipped with a heat shield, which can withstand extremely high temperatures when returning to the atmosphere. It can bring back 3 to 3.5 tons of supplies from the International Space Station at one time and safely return to the earth. This It is a capability that other spacecraft do not have.
Some people may ask, can't my country's Tianzhou spacecraft bring back supplies? You can bring it with you, but there is no guarantee that the items will be intact. After
separated from the Chinese space station, the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft actually acted as a "trash can". The capsule and domestic garbage were burned when it fell into the atmosphere, and only a small amount of debris could land in the predetermined sea area. In other words, if our country wants to bring the items on the space station back to Earth intact, it can only rely on manned spacecraft.
It is undeniable that the excellent downlink transportation capability is a major feature of the Cargo Dragon spacecraft, which also means that the spacecraft can not only carry cargo, but can also carry people after slight modification, and vice versa.
First deliver the goods and then carry the passengers: Why are Dragon spacecraft tickets not expensive?
The Dragon spacecraft developed by of Space It is also an important part of commercial manned spaceflight.
The appearance and specifications of the Manned Dragon spacecraft
In May 2020, the Manned Dragon spacecraft sent two astronauts into a predetermined orbit for the first time and successfully docked with the International Space Station. After 64 days in orbit, the two astronauts safely returned to Earth aboard the spacecraft, marking the success of the manned flight test and laying the foundation for subsequent commercial space travel.
In September 2021, the Manned Dragon "picked up" for the first time, successfully sending four private passengers into orbit. The four stayed in low-Earth orbit for three days, then returned to the atmosphere, and finally landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean. As for how much the space tickets cost, the relevant media did not disclose it.
However, on April 8, 2022, the Manned Dragon spacecraft sent three wealthy businessmen to the International Space Station. This time the ticket price was made public, which shocked netizens: Each wealthy businessman paid 55 million US dollars for the ship. tickets, equivalent to about 350 million yuan . Many people may think it is too expensive, but by comparison, you will find that the price of seats on the Crew Dragon spacecraft is actually quite affordable, and the price-performance ratio is quite strong.
According to reports, the Crew Dragon spacecraft can sell up to four seats at a time. The cost of a single seat is difficult to determine. Some experts estimate it to be between and 67 million US dollars, and some scholars believe that it is between and 67 million US dollars. But no matter which kind of valuation it is, it is much more affordable than the fare of "Soyuz".
"Soyuz" is Russia's manned spacecraft. Since the retirement of the American space shuttle
in 2011, American astronauts have been relying on Russia's "Soyuz" to enter the space station, and the price of a single seat is also ridiculously high. In 2014, the price of a single ticket was US$876 million. In 2015, the price was further increased. Each ticket was priced at US$882 million. In 2017, it fell back to US$875 million, but it increased to US$881 million in 2018. $.
▲ From 2006 to 2018, "Soyuz" sold a total of 64 seat tickets with a total value of 3.368 billion U.S. dollars, and the average single seat value was 52.637 million U.S. dollars. If early inflation is included, the actual price is still higher than the $55 million ticket price of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
From 2020 to 2022, the emergence of the Manned Dragon spacecraft will undoubtedly provide NASA with a better choice, directly reducing the cost of astronauts' tickets by more than 20 million US dollars. The reason why the fare is so affordable is mainly due to the mature recovery system of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the flexible cabin design.
As mentioned earlier, the Dragon spacecraft can be recycled five times, which directly reduces the construction cost and ensures the launch frequency. In terms of cabin design, Cargo Dragon and Manned Dragon are also very flexible. For example, the C280 that transported cargo to the International Space Station this time was actually modified from the previous Manned Dragon spacecraft. The difference is that the seats have been removed from the cabin. , cockpit control room and astronaut life support system, thus improving the utilization of the spacecraft.
Comparing the freight and manned spacecrafts of China and the United States, which one is more cost-effective?
On February 5, 2021, a paper included in the journal "China Science and Technology" showed that the launch prices of China's cargo spacecraft and manned spacecraft are also expensive. The cost of a cargo spacecraft launch is as high as .35 billion , the manned spacecraft is .885 billion.
Speaking of this, everyone’s first reaction may be: the ticket price of the manned ticket is higher, more than twice that of the Manned Dragon! In fact, this is not the case. The 850 million yuan here refers to the launch cost of a single spacecraft, not the cost of a single seat. Each spacecraft has a crew of 3 people, with an average of about 280 million yuan per person.
If my country launches commercial manned business in the future, the initial ticket price will definitely be higher than 280 million yuan. Depending on the profit margin, the actual selling price will fluctuate, and it is likely to be close to the 350 million yuan of the Manned Dragon. As the manufacturing process of recyclable rockets matures, the cost is expected to be reduced in the later period. By then, our country's manned spacecraft will also have a strong cost advantage.
The same is true for cargo spacecraft. The "cost-effectiveness" is mainly reflected in the cargo volume. The total weight of the uplink materials each time the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft is launched is about 6 tons. Based on the launch cost of a single ship of 350 million yuan, the average cargo cost per ton is less than 60 million yuan.
Which is the higher cost of manned and cargo spacecraft between China and the United States? It should be said that the aerospace routes taken by the two countries are different, each has its own advantages and pursuits, and there is no such thing as "technical inferiority". What do you think?
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