The Celestis New Frontier Flight was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket with a primary payload of a Dragon Capsule loaded with supplies to deliver to the International Space Station - the first ever commercial delivery to the ISS.
Liftoff occurred at 2:44 am CDT, Tuesday, May 22, 2012 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Aboard were 320 Celestis participants from the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, India, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, France, South Africa and Russia.
The star burst in the center of the New Frontier Flight logo draws the eye to Cape Canaveral, Florida, home of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the launch pad for this mission. The Mercury symbol (left) and the Gemini symbol (right) remind one of participant L. Gordon Cooper's flights to space during the time of John F. Kennedy’s “New Frontier.” The nine stars represent the nine engines on the Falcon 9 rocket needed to fly this mission into orbit. Lastly, the wings in the center stand for the symbolic realization of space travel for all of the participants on the New Frontier Flight.
The New Frontier Flight logo is from well-known designer and illustrator Eric Gignac. Eric’s portfolio also includes co-design of NASA Space Shuttle mission patches for the STS 128 and 133 missions.
Every Celestis mission has its own logo, mission patch and lapel pin following the tradition of creating a unique identity for each launch dating to the earliest days of the American space program.
