Dragon C2+, also known as SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2 (COTS 2), was the second test-flight for SpaceX's uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft, launched on the third flight of the company's two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The flight was under contract to NASA as the second Dragon demonstration mission in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. The purpose of the COTS program is to develop and demonstrate commercial sources for cargo re-supply of the International Space Station (ISS). The Dragon C2+ spacecraft was the first American vehicle to visit the ISS since the end of the Space Shuttle Programme It was also the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous and berth with another spacecraft.

Initially, the objectives of the C2+ mission were to have been accomplished by two separate missions; Dragon C2 would have carried out a fly-by of the ISS, practiced rendezvous maneuvers and communications with the station, before returning to Earth. A second mission. C3, would have been the first mission to berth with the station. In July 2011, NASA gave tentative approval to combine the objectives of the two missions. In December 2011, NASA formally approved the merger of the COTS 2 and 3 missions into the Dragon C2+ flight. There were several launch date delays before the actual launch date, the last delay occurring on 19 May 2012, due to a launch abort during the last second before liftoff.

Dragon C2+ successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on 22 May 2012. During the mission's first three days, rendezvous techniques and communications were tested between Dragon and the ISS. It passed all requirements, and successfully completed all COTS 2 objectives. The mission's COTS 3 phase began on 25 May when Dragon rendezvoused again with the ISS and then was successfully captured using the Canadarm2. It was berthed to the station later that day, using the robotic arm. Dragon stayed for almost six days during which the astronauts unloaded cargo, and then reloaded Dragon with Earth-bound cargo. On 31 May, Dragon unberthed from the ISS and landed in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. All the objectives of the mission were successfully completed, and the Falcon 9-Dragon system became certified to start regular cargo delivery

Mission type: ISS resupply
Operator: SpaceX/NASA
COSPAR ID: 2012-027A
SATCAT no. 38348
Mission duration: 9 days

Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type: Dragon
Manufacturer: SpaceX

Start of mission
Launch date: 22 May 2012, 07:44:38 UTC
Rocket: Falcon 9 v1.0
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SLC-40
Contractor: SpaceX

End of mission
Disposal: Recovered
Landing date: 31 May 2012, 15:42 UTC
Landing site: 26°55?12?N 120°42?00?W

Orbital parameters
Reference system: Geocentric
Regime: Low Earth
Inclination: 51.6 degrees

Berthing at ISS
Berthing port: Harmony nadir
Berthing date: 25 May 2012, 16:02 UTC
Unberthing date: 31 May 2012, 09:49 UTC
Time berthed: 5 days 16 hours 5 minutes