Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit
| Mission type | Demonstration |
|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX |
| COSPAR ID | 2010-026A |
| SATCAT no. | 36595 |
| Mission duration | None |
| Orbits completed | 359 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Launch mass | 735,000 pounds (333,400 kg) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 4 June 2010, 18:45 UTC |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 v1.0 F1 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 27 June 2010 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 249.5 kilometers (155.0 mi) |
| Apogee | 252.5 kilometers (156.9 mi) |
| Inclination | 34.5 degrees |
| Epoch | 26 June 2010 22:58:50 |
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The Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit was a boilerplate version of the Dragon spacecraft manufactured by SpaceX. After using it for ground tests to rate Dragon's shape and mass in various tests, SpaceX launched it into low Earth orbit on the maiden flight of the Falcon 9 rocket, on June 4, 2010. SpaceX used the launch to evaluate the aerodynamic conditions on the spacecraft and performance of the carrier rocket in a real-world launch scenario, ahead of Dragon flights for NASA under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program. The spacecraft orbited the Earth over 300 times before decaying from orbit and reentering the atmosphere on 29 June.
In September 2009, the launch was expected to occur no earlier than November 29, 2009, however the launch was subsequently postponed ten more times, to launch dates in February, March, April, May, and June 2010, for multiple reasons including finding an open launch date, approvals, and retesting. The launch date was eventually set for June 4, 2010.
On October 16, 2009, the nine Merlin engines of the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket intended to launch the DSQU were test fired at SpaceX's rocket engine test facility in McGregor, Texas. On January 2, 2010, the second stage of the Falcon 9 vehicle was test fired for the full duration required for orbital insertion, 345 seconds. By late February, the launch vehicle had been assembled and raised to its vertical position on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), having been rolled out to the launch pad on February 19.
On March 13, 2010, the first stage engines successfully underwent a 3.5 second static test firing, having failed a previous attempt the day before.
SpaceX announced in September 2009 that the Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit would be the payload for the first Falcon 9 launch. At the time, launch was scheduled to occur no earlier than November 2009. The launch date had been delayed several times for various reasons, The spacecraft was launched and entered orbit on June 4, 2010.
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