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SpaceX's next Crew Dragon test could happen next week
SpaceX is reportedly gearing up for the next test of its Crew Dragon capsule. A static fire test (a simulated launch with a rocket engine secured to the ground) is set to take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida November 2nd, according to CNBC. Engadget has contacted SpaceX for comment.
SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docks with ISS
SpaceX's Crew Dragon has completed the last leg of its historic first journey. The capsule docked with the International Space Station through a "soft capture" at 5:51AM Eastern, with astronauts aboard the ISS opening the hatch shortly after 8AM. There wasn't much to greet the ISS crew this time around, as the test flight only included 400lbs of supplies and the human-shaped Ripley test device. Still, it's an important moment in NASA's Commercial Crew Program -- an American capsule has docked in orbit.
SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully launched
Ever since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011, NASA has relied on Russian Soyuz missions to get astronauts back and forth from the International Space Station. In order to maintain control over its own missions, the Commercial Crew program has sought replacements, with SpaceX and Boeing in competition for the contract. After a number of delays, SpaceX will go first with a test launch of its Crew Dragon vehicle, scheduled to take off from Launch Complex 39A in Cape Canaveral at 2:49 AM ET. SpaceX will have a live webcast of the Crew Demo-1 launch, which you can watch here, along with coverage from NASA TV. The broadcasts should start at 2 AM. To synchronize with the ISS, it's an instantaneous window so there's no waiting for this one -- it either will or will not go tonight.
SpaceX postpones first Crew Dragon flight until March 2nd
SpaceX and NASA have set a new target date for the Crew Dragon's first test flight: March 2nd. The capsule was supposed to blast off on top of a Falcon 9 rocket and head to the ISS for the first time on January 7th, but the partners rescheduled it twice since then. Neither gave an explanation for the delays -- they're pretty common when it comes to rocket launches, after all -- but Florida Today brought up the possibility that the capsule's first test was affected by the 35-day government shutdown that lasted until January 25th.
SpaceX test firing sets path for Crew Dragon flight in February
On Thursday afternoon the rocket engines under SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehicle briefly fired up, and after a few delays the company said on Twitter that it's planning for a test flight in February. You can watch a video of the test below, which according to CBS reporter William Harwood, may have been a bit shorter than planned and could lead to a retest. Anonymous sources indicated that the test flight is tentatively scheduled for February 23rd. As Ars Technica notes, while SpaceX and Boeing prepare their vehicles for testing, NASA personnel with the commercial crew program are currently working without pay in support due to the ongoing government shutdown.
NASA and SpaceX reschedule the first crew capsule test flight
We're a few weeks away from the first uncrewed Demo-1 flight test to the Space Station, but NASA and SpaceX have pushed the mission back slightly. According to a post from the Commercial Crew Program, switching the date back ten days from January 7th to January 17th will allow time for the Dragon capsule to return from its 16th ISS supply run (if you're quick, you can catch the spacecraft docking live this morning, two days after it launched). Its competition, Boeing's Starliner, is scheduled for a test in March. Getting this test done to gather data and test the in-flight abort function ahead of a flight with the Crew Dragon capsule that carries astronauts onboard is critical, as Commercial Crew Program manager Kathy Lueders said "The upcoming steps before the test missions are critical, and their importance can't be understated. We are not driven by dates, but by data. Ultimately, we'll fly SpaceX Demo-1 at the right time, so we get the right data back to support the in-flight abort test and the next test flight when our astronauts are aboard."
SpaceX is one step closer to launching astronauts into space
This week, SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule arrived at Cape Canaveral, Florida after completing thermal vacuum and acoustic testing. This means the spacecraft is one step closer to its first launch, which will be an uncrewed test mission to the International Space Station. Demonstration Mission-1, or DM-1, is currently scheduled for sometime next month.
The new space race is postponed until 2018
Aboard the International Space Station, an A4-size flag of the United States hangs next to a 1:100 model of a space shuttle. The memento, placed there by the last crew to fly on shuttle Atlantis, is meant to be retrieved by the next batch of astronauts that launches on a US spacecraft. NASA had hoped to reach that goal in 2017 after awarding Boeing and SpaceX billion-dollar contracts under the Commercial Crew Program (CCP). However, the road back to manned missions is paved with thorns and technical challenges. We certainly won't see any astronauts ferried to Low Earth Orbit before the year ends, but both companies believe that 2018 is the year that flag will be returned to Earth.
NASA is concerned about SpaceX's rocket fueling practices
NASA is a little nervous about SpaceX's future crewed flights. The Wall Street Journal has obtained a letter from December 2015 showing that an agency International Space Station committee has been worried about the safety of SpaceX's planned fueling strategy. While the nature of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets will require that it fill up while the crew is aboard (it has to supply the supercooled fuel 30 minutes before launch), that goes against "50 years" of booster safety practices around the world, according to the letter. The committee raised the issue again with NASA officials days before SpaceX's launchpad explosion, but hadn't heard anything for weeks afterward.
SpaceX tests Crew Dragon's parachute landing skills
There's a well-worn saying about what goes up. Usually it's metaphorical, but in the case of SpaceX's human-carrying Crew Dragon craft it's very, very literal. That's why the private space firm has been testing its multi-parachute descent system. The tests used four parachutes in total, and a dummy payload to simulate the expensive capsule -- all of which was ejected from a C-130 cargo plane.
SpaceX's manned Dragon capsule gets its first real test on May 6th
You won't have to wait much longer to see what SpaceX's manned Dragon capsule is like in action. SpaceX now expects to conduct its promised Crew Dragon launch pad abort test (the craft's first major test) on May 6th, with things kicking off as early as 7AM Eastern. The point of the system is to make sure the crew and spacecraft have a way to escape if there's a problem with the rocket, and according to SpaceX, is an option from launch all the way up to orbit. This might not be as dramatic as some of the company's other tests, but it will give you a sense of what would happen if the vehicle had to abandon its host rocket in a hurry. One thing's for sure: with NASA streaming the whole thing live, it won't take long to find out whether or not SpaceX's orbital courier is on the right track.
SpaceX slated to transport cargo and crew on Falcon 9
If that homebrew rocket you've been building in your backyard isn't working out, maybe SpaceX will have some room for you on one of its many upcoming Falcon 9 missions. Now that the F1 has successfully achieved orbit, the F9 is slated for launch in Q1 2009. As you may recall, the aptly named Falcon 9 has nine engines rather than one, as with the F1. These redundancies were inspired by the Apollo's Saturn V and Saturn I rockets, noted for their flawless flight records despite engine failures. If all goes well, the launch will be followed by three more, including one with a crew and an F9 "Heavy" -- handy if you've got 25,300 lbs of marbles or whatever to haul up to the International Space Station. If you plan on hitching a ride, get your job applications in now -- only valued employees are scheduled to be passengers at this time. Got a more exotic destination in mind? Next up Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, has his sights set on building a "Mars lander of some kind."[Via Wired]
