Article Posted on : - Dec 11, 2011

An artistic concept Dragon spacecraft. A SpaceX photo

WASHINGTON (BNS): Private space firm SpaceX has received the go-ahead from NASA to launch its unmanned Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station in February 2012.

The Dragon spaceship's rendezvous with the ISS is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2012, the US space agency announced last week.

During the flight, Dragon will conduct a series of check-out procedures that will test and prove its systems in advance of the rendezvous with the station.

The primary objectives for the flight include a fly-by of the space station at a distance of approximately two miles to validate the operation of sensors and flight systems necessary for a safe rendezvous and approach. The spacecraft also will demonstrate the capability to abort the rendezvous, if required, NASA said.

The spacecraft will be berthed to the Earth-facing side of the Harmony node of ISS.

At the end of the mission, the crew will reverse the process, detaching Dragon from the station for its return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific off the coast of California.

If the rendezvous and attachment to the station are not successful, SpaceX will complete a third demonstration flight in order to achieve these objectives as originally planned, the space agency said.

The February mission will be the first attempt by a commercial US space firm to launch an unmanned mission to the orbital laboratory after the retirement of the US space shuttles in June, 2011.

Two other private companies competing to fly spacecraft and astronauts to ISS include Boeing and Sierra Nevada.

The Dragon capsule made the world's first private trip to orbit Earth and back in December 2010 aboard the company's Falcon 9 rocket. The mission had established SpaceX as the first private company to launch and recover a spacecraft from orbit.

"SpaceX has made incredible progress over the last several months preparing Dragon for its mission to the space station," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.

"We look forward to a successful mission, which will open up a new era in commercial cargo delivery for this international orbiting laboratory."

The Falcon 9 and Dragon system are developed with the help of private-public partnerships.

With the space shuttle fleet retired, NASA is currently looking to private companies to handle space station supply runs and astronaut rides.