SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft aced its static fire engine tests and it’s ready to move onto the next stage.
The company, which conducted the tests near SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, is now preparing for an in-flight launch escape demonstration, also known as the In-Flight Abort Test, NASA said in a press release.
Full duration static fire test of Crew Dragon’s launch escape system complete – SpaceX and NASA teams are now reviewing test data and working toward an in-flight demonstration of Crew Dragon’s launch escape capabilities pic.twitter.com/CMHvMRBQcW
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 13, 2019
Testing started with two burns (one-second each) for two of Crew Dragon’s Draco thrusters. Each thruster is used for on-orbit maneuvering and attitude control, in addition to re-orientation during certain in-flight launch escapes.
After the initial Draco thruster burns, the SpaceX team wrapped up a full-duration firing for roughly nine seconds of the spacecraft’s eight SuperDraco engines. They’re designed to accelerate Dragon away from the F9 launch vehicle, in case there is an emergency situation after launch.
Right after the SuperDracos shut down, two Draco thrusters fired and eight SuperDraco flaps closed, replicating the sequence required to reorient the Crew Dragon in-flight to deploy a parachute and close the flaps prior to re-entry. The full sequence took about 70 seconds to complete.
SpaceX team has completed 13 successful tests in a row of upgraded Mark 3 parachutes for Crew Dragon. Most recent test demonstrated the parachute system’s ability to land the spacecraft safely in the unlikely event that one of the four main parachutes fails. pic.twitter.com/VJzDeS8UAG
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 3, 2019
Wednesday’s tests helped check the launch escape system prior to Crew Dragon’s in-flight abort demonstration that was planned as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Following the test, NASA and SpaceX will go over data, perform hardware inspections, and set a target launch date for the In-Flight Abort Test.
SpaceX’s latest testing round wasn’t it’s first: In April, the Crew Dragon experienced an error which led to an explosion and loss of the spacecraft during a similar run of engine tests. Following the failed incident, an Anomaly Investigation Team found out that liquid propellant in the high-flow helium pressurization system caused a titanium ignition event. SpaceX redesigned components of Crew Dragon’s system to prevent future explosion incidents.
More on Geek.com:
- Watch: SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Parachute System Aces 13th Test
- Elon Musk: SpaceX May Launch Crew Dragon Abort Test Soon
- Elon Musk: SpaceX’s Mk1 Starship Prototype Is Almost Completed
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