Crew Dragon unmanned launch abort a success
Capitalism in space: SpaceX has successfully completed an unmanned launch abort test of its crew Dragon spacecraft.
Everything took place exactly as planned. The image to the right is a screen capture shortly after the main chutes had become fully deployed. The recovery of the capsule is still ongoing, and will take a bit more than an hour. A press conference has been scheduled at 11:30 eastern, viewable on NASA-TV.
Based on what was seen, it appears that SpaceX is ready to put astronauts on this capsule. It is time to do so.
I have embedded a replay of the entire test, below the fold.
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Capitalism in space: SpaceX has successfully completed an unmanned launch abort test of its crew Dragon spacecraft.
Everything took place exactly as planned. The image to the right is a screen capture shortly after the main chutes had become fully deployed. The recovery of the capsule is still ongoing, and will take a bit more than an hour. A press conference has been scheduled at 11:30 eastern, viewable on NASA-TV.
Based on what was seen, it appears that SpaceX is ready to put astronauts on this capsule. It is time to do so.
I have embedded a replay of the entire test, below the fold.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
That fireball after separation was a thing of beauty…but only because it was expected. BOOYEAH!
NASA can’t even get the press conference started on time…..
I’m not sure why they had to actually blow up the Falcon 9. I hope it was one that had hit the end of their cycle and was going to be scraped anyway.
Anyhoo….congrats SpaceX!
Forgive me if my question seems a bit unclear. Does this mean that SpaceX now has the planet’s first (and only) re-usable “man rated” rocket with the Falcon 9 and Dragon? Do they still use the term “man rated”?
I mean, this was the last test, the last hurdle. This is to certify it is good to go for human crew/passengers, correct?
The Falcon 9 had to be a Block 5, since that’s what Crewed Dragon launches on. There weren’t any at end-of-life, but this one had already been launched three times. It also had to fully fueled, both stages, to simulate normal launch condition. And they didn’t blow it up; they just shut down the engines, and let Dragon decide that the abort was necessary. After separation, the Falcon 9 was “aerodynamically unstable.” Bad things happen to heavily fueled vehicles travelling at supersonic speeds when they become aerodynamically unstable. Basically, that’s how Challenger broke up after the O-ring failure.
I’m not sure that Falcon is “human-rated” at this point; the next flight after that, with crew, is still a “demonstration mission.” In my book, that’s a test flight. NASA is calling the next flight after that to be the first operational mission.
While Falcon is reusable, and cargo Dragon is reusable (with refurbishment), NASA’s contract with SpaceX specifies that Crewed Dragons will be new vehicles on each flight. SpaceX has said that they will re-use these Dragons, but not on crewed NASA missions to ISS. They can still be used for cargo flights to ISS, and for commercially contracted human spaceflights. (And that could conceivably happen before a paying customer flies on New Shepard.)
The Prez to Bridenstine. “YOU’RE FIRED!
Are we really going to launch Americans from American soil on American rockets powered by Russian Engines?
If its Boeing, I’m not going. (and I flew all of them for 30 years)
Shut down NASA tomorrow. Just a bunch of unfinished parts/projects laying around for the museums anyway.
I know, I know, they do so much more than mere rocketry.
Anoint Musk as civilian commander-in-chief of the new Space Force and give him our credit card.
Get out of his way!
Dian Wilson correct about NASA inept fumbling with a simple press conference, heck, they couldn’t even turn on/off the individual microphones in time to catch their remarks. But, incompetence doesn’t matter as long as they are diverse.
I am so grateful/proud Elon is an American.
Another fantastic job today SpaceX!
Congratulations.
I think you meant “screen capture” rather than “screen capsule”
Glad it was a successful test!
Andi: Thank you. Fixed.
Are we really going to launch Americans from American soil on American rockets powered by Russian Engines?
Let’s hope ULA can get Vulcan into operation quickly, so that we won’t have to for very long.
I’m not an *enthusiast* for Vulcan, mind you; but at least it’s all American, and modestly cheaper to operate than Atlas V is.
Either way, Jim Bridenstine is right: We need to have American crewed access to space, stat, and we need dissimilar redundancy in crew and launch vehicles in doing so. Which means we need Boeing getting going, too, because they’re the only other game in town for the time being.