[Satellite TODAY 03-30-10] SpaceX has activated its Dragon spacecraft communication hardware aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract with NASA, the company announced March 29.
     NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis delivered the system hardware to the ISS during mission STS-129 in November.
     The COTS UHF communication unit, which has completed a series of testing phases, aims to allow ISS crewmembers to monitor and command approaching or departing Dragon spacecraft during cargo delivery missions to the orbiting laboratory.
    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft will transport cargo to and from the ISS on a minimum of 12 flights starting in 2011.