SpaceX CRS-16

CRS-16 Dragon approaching the ISS
Names	SpX-16
Mission type	ISS resupply
Operator	SpaceX
COSPAR ID	2018-101A
SATCATno.	43827
Mission duration	39 days, 10 hours, 54 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Dragon 1 C112
Spacecraft type	Dragon 1
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Dry mass	4,200 kg (9,300 lb)
Dimensions	Height: 6.1 m (20 ft) Diameter: 3.7 m (12 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date	5 December 2018, 18:16:00 UTC
Rocket	Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1050)
Launch site	Cape Canaveral,SLC-40
End of mission
Disposal	Recovered
Landing date	14 January 2019, 05:10 UTC[1]
Landing site	Pacific Ocean offBaja California
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	51.6°
Berthing atISS
Berthing port	Harmonynadir
RMS capture	8 December 2018, 12:21UTC[2][3]
Berthing date	8 December 2018, 15:36 UTC[4]
Unberthing date	13 January 2019, 20:00 UTC[5]
RMS release	13 January 2019, 23:33 UTC[6]
Time berthed	36 days, 4 hours, 24 minutes
Cargo
Mass	2,573 kg (5,672 lb)
Pressurised	1,598 kg (3,523 lb)
Unpressurised	975 kg (2,150 lb)
NASA SpX-16 mission patch Commercial Resupply Services ← NG-10 NG-11 → Cargo Dragon ← SpaceX CRS-15 SpaceX CRS-17 →

SpaceX CRS-16, also known asSpX-16, was aCommercial Resupply Service mission to theInternational Space Station launched on 5 December 2018^[7] aboard aFalcon 9 launch vehicle.^[8] The mission was contracted byNASA and is flown bySpaceX.

This CRS mission was the first to be launched by theFalcon 9 Block 5. It carried theGlobal Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) lidar and the Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3) experiment as external payloads.

In February 2016, it was announced thatNASA had awarded a contract extension to SpaceX for five additional CRS missions (CRS-16 toCRS-20).^[9] In June 2016, a NASAInspector General report had this mission manifested in August 2018,^[10] but it was later delayed to 29 November 2018,^[11] 4 December 2018,^[8] and 5 December 2018.^[12]

The first stage boosterB1050.1 experienced a grid fin hydraulic pump stall on re-entry. This caused the first stage to go into a roll after the re-entry burn. It failed to reachLanding Zone 1, but recovered enough to achieve a water landing off Cape Canaveral. Shortly after the landing,Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, stated the booster appeared to be undamaged and was being recovered. After recovering the booster, it was found to be unable to fly again, and was scrapped for parts.^[13]

On 13 January 2019, Dragon was released from ISS at 23:33 UTC and deorbited, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 5 hours later on 14 January 2019 at 05:10 UTC, returning more than 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) of cargo toEarth.^[1]

NASA had contracted for the CRS-16 mission from SpaceX and therefore determined the primary payload, date/time of launch, andorbital parameters for the Dragonspace capsule. CRS-16 carried a total of 2,573 kg (5,672 lb) of material into orbit. This included 1,598 kg (3,523 lb) of pressurised cargo with packaging bound for the International Space Station, and 975 kg (2,150 lb) of unpressurised cargo composed of two external station experiments: theGlobal Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) lidar and the Robotic Refueling Mission 3.^[14][15] Forty mice also flew with the payload in an experiment calledRodent Research-8 (RR-8).^[12]

The CRS-16 mission also carried a pair ofCubeSats originally planned to launch aboard theCygnus NG-10International Space Station (ISS) cargo resupply mission, but which were deferred. These included theUNITE CubeSat from theUniversity of Southern Indiana and theTechEdSat-8 CubeSat from NASA'sAmes Research Center.^[16]

The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:^[17]

• Crew supplies: 304 kg (670 lb)
• Science investigations: 1,037 kg (2,286 lb)
  • Rodent Research-8 (RR-8)^[18]
  • Molecular Muscle Experiment (MME)^[19]
  • Growth of Large, Perfect Protein Crystals for Neutron Crystallography (Perfect Crystals)^[20]
• Spacewalk equipment: 15 kg (33 lb)
• Vehicle hardware: 191 kg (421 lb)
• Computer resources: 40 kg (88 lb)
• Russian hardware: 11 kg (24 lb)
• External payloads:
  • Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI): ≈500 kg (1,100 lb)^[21]
  • Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3)

• Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station

• Dragon website at SpaceX.com
• Commercial Resupply Services at NASA.gov

• SpaceX Dragon
• Spacecraft launched in 2018
• SpaceX payloads contracted by NASA
• Supply vehicles for the International Space Station
• Spacecraft which reentered in 2019

• Source attribution
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use American English from January 2021
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Use dmy dates from January 2021
• Pages using gallery without a media namespace prefix