Frequently Asked Questions On The Loss of SpaceX CRS-7

By  //  July 1, 2015

NASA, SPACEX FALCON 9 NEWS

What should I do if I think I have found debris from the incident? Anyone who finds debris should call 866-392-0035 or email: recovery@spaceX.com. (NASA.gov image)
What should I do if I think I have found debris from the incident? Anyone who finds debris should call 866-392-0035 or email: recovery@spaceX.com. (NASA.gov image)

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – What should I do if I think I have found debris from the incident?

Anyone who finds debris should call 866-392-0035 or email:  recovery@spaceX.com.

2.    Is there an effort to survey for debris?
SpaceX deployed vehicles after the incident to survey the area and recover any available debris and is working with the U.S. Coast Guard.

3.    Was anybody hurt as a result of the incident?
No injuries have been reported. All processes, protocol and procedures were followed with respect to safety. We have received no indication of any safety issues but will continue to monitor and ensure there was no impact to the public.

4.    Is the crew of the International Space Station in any danger of running out of critical supplies?
The International Space Station and Expedition 44 crew members are in good shape in terms of supplies with adequate levels until at least October even without the Progress launch scheduled for July 3. The crew is in no danger.

5.    What are the future opportunities for sending cargo to the ISS?
Several visiting vehicles are traveling to the station through the remainder of the year.

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The next launch to the station is a Progress cargo launch on July 3. In addition to the next crew launch July 22, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is targeting August to launch the HTV-5 cargo spacecraft, and Orbital ATK is expected to launch its Cygnus cargo spacecraft on an Atlas V rocket later this year.

6.    What kind of cargo was on the Dragon spacecraft?
Cargo included science experiments, research equipment, crew provisions and one of two International Docking Adapters (IDA). You can find more details in the SpaceX CRS-7 mission overview.

7.    Who pays for all the stuff that was lost in the launch?
The seventh SpaceX commercial resupply services mission contained NASA, commercial and educational payloads.  NASA does not carry insurance for its cargo.  NASA is assessing the need and cost to replace the lost items.  The value and replacement strategies for non-NASA cargo are the purview of the entities that provided that cargo.

8.    How does the loss of the International Docking Adapter (IDA) affect plans for the docking of future commercial crew vehicles?
The cargo on the SpaceX’s seventh commercial resupply services mission included an International Docking Adapter (IDA) that was intended to serve as a docking port for future U.S. commercial crew vehicles – one of two such devices NASA had planned to use for this purpose.

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While only one IDA is required to accommodate commercial crew vehicles, NASA has parts for a third, and the agency anticipates ultimately having two IDAs on station, as planned.

9. How might this event affect the Commercial Crew Program going forward?
We do not anticipate it will affect the timeline for the Commercial Crew Program. The lessons learned from this event could provide insight to a weakness or flaw that might not have been otherwise revealed until much further down the line.

10. How will this impact the next launch of the crew to the International Space Station?
We do not expect this event to affect the next launch of the crew on July 22. Increasing the crew size back to six and getting back to the research is important to the ISS overall mission. The station is well stocked with food and supplies, and the amount of research to be done requires additional crew time.

11.How will this impact the next launch Progress vehicle to the ISS?
We expect the launch of the Progress cargo vehicle on July 3. We have reviewed the previous Progress flight in detail. The third stage will be replaced with a configuration that has flow before.

12. Will there be an investigation?
This activity was conducted under a FAA launch license and is being classified as a mishap. SpaceX will conduct the mishap investigation with FAA oversight. NASA will support both SpaceX and the FAA as appropriate.

13. Where can I find updates?
Further updates on the situation will be available from SpaceX and NASA online at http://www.spacex.com and http://www.nasa.gov/spacex.

14. How can I watch the news briefing?
NASA has posted the video of the SpaceX CRS-7 news conference.