SpaceX is very close to conducting an in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft.
On Saturday, a Falcon 9 rocket aced a hot fire test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This booster will be used for the upcoming in-flight demonstration, which has a target date of Jan. 18. In a tweet, SpaceX said the test will be used to check if the spacecraft has the ability to carry astronauts to safety if there’s an emergency situation during ascent.
Static fire of Falcon 9 complete – targeting January 18 for an in-flight demonstration of Crew Dragon’s launch escape system, which will verify the spacecraft’s ability to carry astronauts to safety in the unlikely event of an emergency during ascent
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 11, 2020
#SpaceX #Falcon9 Static Fire has occurred, approx 7 seconds in duration. Now waiting on a confirmation of successful test following data review and NET date for #InFlightAbort. pic.twitter.com/GxTkwdK6vF
— Nathan Barker (@NASA_Nerd) January 11, 2020
The demonstration, also known as a static-fire test, is critical before liftoff. During the demonstration, super-chilled propellants (kerosene and liquid oxygen), were placed into the rocket before the Falcon 9’s first stage Merlin 1D engines were ignited. The Merlin 1D engines fired up and generated 1.7 million pounds of thrust during the test, which was a success according to SpaceX.
Coming up next is the in-flight abort test, which will likely take place this weekend. It will involve a Crew Dragon spacecraft launching on top of a Falcon 9 rocket. After liftoff, software will engage the Crew Dragon’s launch abort system, which will enable the Crew Dragon to move free of its launcher and head back to our planet.
Once this test is completed, SpaceX can continue to tweak its Crew Dragon spacecraft and ensure that astronauts will stay safe on future missions.
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