On flight day three, Dragon performed height adjustment burn 2 (HA-2) at 07:58 UTC, to get within about 10 km (6.2 mi) of the ISS, the "communication zone."
At 08:43 UTC co-elliptical burn 2 (CE-2) raised its orbit to nearly the same plane as the ISS, and brought it to within 2,500 m (8,200 ft) below the station.
During this "fly-under," Dragon established communications with the station using its COTS Ultra-high frequency Communication Unit (CUCU).
Dragon performed a test of its Relative GPS (RGPS) system, which used the relative positions of the spacecraft to the space station to determine its location.
Also, using the Crew Command Panel (CCP) on board the Cupola module, the Expedition 31 crew briefly interacted with Dragon, monitoring the fly-under and just before 11:00 UTC sending a command to Dragon to turn on its strobe light.
At about 11:25 UTC the Dragon made its closest approach to the ISS.
Once the fly-under was completed, Dragon fired its thrusters to begin a loop out in front, above and then behind the station in a racetrack oval pattern at a distance between 7 to 10 km (4.3 to 6.2 mi).
The Dragon performed a final burn for the day, at 11:57 UTC, that moved it away from the ISS, and set the spacecraft up for a re-rendezvous with the station the next day.
After Dragon cleared the station's vicinity, NASA approved the berthing to occur on day 4, meaning all the original COTS 2 mission requirements were met.
On flight day three, Dragon performed height adjustment burn 2 (HA-2) at 07:58 UTC, to get within about 10 km (6.2 mi) of the ISS, the "communication zone." At 08:43 UTC co-elliptical burn 2 (CE-2) raised its orbit to nearly the same plane as the ISS, and brought it to within 2,500 m (8,200 ft) below the station. During this "fly-under," Dragon established communications with the station using its COTS Ultra-high frequency Communication Unit (CUCU). Dragon performed a test of its Relative GPS (RGPS) system, which used the relative positions of the spacecraft to the space station to determine its location. Also, using the Crew Command Panel (CCP) on board the Cupola module, the Expedition 31 crew briefly interacted with Dragon, monitoring the fly-under and just before 11:00 UTC sending a command to Dragon to turn on its strobe light. At about 11:25 UTC the Dragon made its closest approach to the ISS. Once the fly-under was completed, Dragon fired its thrusters to begin a loop out in front, above and then behind the station in a racetrack oval pattern at a distance between 7 to 10 km (4.3 to 6.2 mi). The Dragon performed a final burn for the day, at 11:57 UTC, that moved it away from the ISS, and set the spacecraft up for a re-rendezvous with the station the next day. After Dragon cleared the station's vicinity, NASA approved the berthing to occur on day 4, meaning all the original COTS 2 mission requirements were met.
SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2