SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Abort System Delivers a Flawless Victory

Crew Dragon’s in-flight abort test is a critical step in launching astronauts from U.S. soil.

• SpaceX is scheduled to launch its Crew Dragon spacecraft on Sunday, January 19 at 10:30 a.m. EST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• The launch is a critical test of Crew Dragon’s in-flight abort system, which will test whether the capsule can safely disengage from its launch vehicle in the event of an anomaly.
• If everything goes according to plan, the company will get the green light from NASA to send astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station.

Update: At 10:30 a.m. EST, SpaceX performed its Crew Dragon launch escape demonstration.

As planned, at about T-plus 1:30 seconds, the Falcon 9 rocket suffered a planned anomaly, splitting apart over the Atlantic Ocean.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft, equipped with eight SuperDraco engines, separated successfully from the rocket.

Four recovery boats were standing by as Crew Dragon splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean at just before nine minutes after launch.

Update: Further delays have pushed the launch back to 10:30 a.m EST. There is a six hour launch window. The live stream is set to begin at 10:12 a.m.

Launch Update @NASA and @SpaceX are now targeting 10:30am ET for the In-Flight Abort Test.

The demonstration has a six-hour launch window ending at 2pm ET this afternoon. https://t.co/YeWrpz41EN pic.twitter.com/UG3o3Ka7dJ

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) January 19, 2020

Update: The launch has yet again been postponed to 10 a.m. EST, according to a Tweet from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The agency reports that teams are continuing to monitor the weather.

.@NASA and @SpaceX are now targeting 10am ET for launch of the company’s In-Flight Abort Test.

Teams continue to monitor the weather conditions for today’s launch attempt, splashdown and recovery of the #CrewDragon: https://t.co/YeWrpz41EN pic.twitter.com/pVSBOfAEIR

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) January 19, 2020

Standing down from today’s in-flight Crew Dragon launch escape test attempt due to sustained winds and rough seas in the recovery area. Now targeting Sunday, January 19, with a six-hour test window opening at 8:00 a.m. EST, 13:00 UTC

SpaceX will aim to pass a critical test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft this weekend. It will sacrifice one of its Falcon 9 rockets in the process.

The company plans to launch Crew Dragon from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8 a.m. EST on Saturday, January 18. (Backup launch opportunities are scheduled for Sunday and Monday at 8 a.m.)

You can tune in to watch the launch below. It will also be streaming live on SpaceX’s website and on NASA TV starting at 7:45 a.m.

If all goes according to plan, the test will prove that the Crew Dragon will be able to safely separate from its launch vehicle in the event of an incident. Approximately a minute and a half after liftoff, nine Merlin 1D engines will be turned off. This will signal an anomaly to Crew Dragon’s onboard computer, which will then prompt the capsule’s eight SuperDraco engines to turn on and pull the capsule away from the rocket.

The Crew Dragon capsule will then continue on its intended path for a while before it repositions itself for the journey back toward Earth. Parachutes will deploy and Crew Dragon will splash down in the Atlantic ocean, where recovery boats will pluck it from the frigid waters.