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After a flight readiness review stretched late into the evening on Sunday, SpaceX and NASA gave the go ahead for agency's Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). As of now, Crew-8 is slated to take to the skies in March, with the mission marking the fifth mission of SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. SpaceX and NASA shared details about the issues that surfaced at the FRR, with the list of items covering concerns with the Dragon's parachutes and its valves.
NASA, SpaceX Discuss Stiching, Valves & Launch Site Issues Ahead Of Upcoming Astronaut Launch
When compared to SpaceX's other missions, such as the Falcon 9 launch for Starlink satellites that also took off from Florida earlier today, the Dragon launches are rare. The Crew-8 mission will mark SpaceX's first crew launch of the year, and its third launch to the ISS in 2024. Ahead of the launch, SpaceX and NASA had to work together on crucial issues to certify Crew Dragon Endeavour for its fifth launch and give the vehicle the go ahead as part of the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) ahead of other reviews.
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The Crew Dragon Endeavour was the first spacecraft that flew astronauts as part of SpaceX's crewed spaceflight program. Before they could clear the vehicle for its upcoming launch, SpaceX and NASA had to work on several areas to keep astronauts safe. According to NASA's Steve Stitch, this flight in particular involved focus on the vehicle's propellant systems and the associated oxidizer valve corrosion.
He shared:
Apart from the valves, a perennial issue of spaceflight, SpaceX and NASA also worked on off nominal readings for oxidizer at the launch site for a recent mission to ensure that the Falcon 9 was safe to launch with a crew on board. While these covered most of the issues with respect to Dragon Endeavour, the review also included a study of the Falcon 9's build and the Dragon spacecraft's parachutes
According to Stich, SpaceX and NASA discovered cracks inside the Falcon 9. These were present in weld that connects the Merlin engine's thrust vector control (TVC) unit with thrust chamber. Other issues covered include concerns about some build areas of the Dragon currently in space.
SpaceX's Gerstenamier stressed that the firm benefits a lot from regularly flying to the station, and several of the discussions surrounding the FRR for Crew-8 came from these. These missions include SpaceX's latest private spaceflight mission, the Ax-1 mission for Axiom Space, with the executive adding that his firm also completed
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Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile will be launched globally next week. Ahead of the launch, Activision has shared a new trailer of the game that shows off the gameplay, visuals, and some of the locations in the game. After spending months in limited release, Activision will finally make the game available on March 21. The game is touted to bring enhanced graphics and a similar gameplay as its PC and console counterparts. Further, it will become the first Call of Duty game to support cross-progression across all platforms.
Excitement is building as iQOO gears up for the launch of its latest mid-range smartphone, the iQOO Z9 5G, set to make its grand entrance into the Indian market on March 12. While the official details are yet to be fully disclosed, iQOO has been dropping tantalizing hints about the smartphone's features. Additionally, leaks have surfaced, giving us a glimpse into the possible price range of this upcoming contender.
Samsung enthusiasts eagerly awaiting the March 11 launch of Samsung Galaxy A35 5G and Samsung Galaxy A55 5G in India have been treated to an unexpected preview. The smartphones have stealthily made their way to the shelves of Germany's Otto retail website ahead of the official unveiling, unravelling key details about their prices and specifications.
Myth of Empires, the multiplayer sandbox survival MMO taking place in a feudal world where the threat of war looms, has officially launched on PC via Steam. Explore the world, gather resources and supplies, and craft a society and an army to fit your playstyle.
After years of demand, Final Fantasy 14, the critically-acclaimed MMORPG with an extended free trial that goes up to the second expansion, Stormblood, up to level 70 with no limits on playtime, is now live as an open beta on the Xbox Series X|S. But there are a few catches—and if you’re a current player, you should pull the reins for a bit.
Apple has launched a new app tailored for sports enthusiasts, appropriately named Apple Sports. This free app, exclusively available for iPhone users, promises to provide real-time scores, stats, and more, all presented with an emphasis on speed and simplicity. With its user-friendly interface crafted by Apple, the app aims to offer a personalized experience by prioritizing users' favorite leagues and teams.
Coming more than a decade and a half on from the original game’s release, World of Goo 2 isn’t a game many of us expected to ever see. Its announcement at The Game Awards in December was certainly a nice surprise though, and after confirming at the time that the 2D puzzle-platformer would be out sometime in 2024, developers 2D Boy and Tomorrow Corporation have now announced a specific release date.
Surprise! Dead Island 2 has popped up as part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription, despite not being listed by Microsoft when it revealed a list of late February Xbox Game Pass titles earlier this week.
A demo for tactical RPG Unicorn Overlord is now available for Switch, and will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 4 on February 23 at midnight local time, publisher ATLUS and developer Vanillaware announced. Save data from the demo can be carried over to the full game when it launches.
Metroidvania-style side-scrolling adventure game Turbo Kid will launch for PC via Steam on April 10, developer Outerminds announced. A new demo will launch on February 23.