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NASA's SpaceX Crew Dragon astronauts will return to Earth on August 2nd
NASA is planning for the SpaceX Crew Dragon to return to Earth on August 2nd.
Watch SpaceX's second attempt at launching astronauts at 3:22PM ET
SpaceX and NASA are trying again to launch astronauts into space aboard Crew Dragon, with a livestream available ahead of the 3:22PM ET liftoff.
SpaceX crewed mission is a 'go' for launch next week
NASA and SpaceX have confirmed that they’ve had “a very successful launch readiness review” at a virtual press conference. SpaceX has just test-fired the Falcon 9’s first-stage engines as part of the final series of tests needed before launch.
SpaceX parachute test failure could further delay crewed flight
SpaceX's hopes a human-occupied Crew Dragon flight this May are fading fast. A parachute test for the capsule failed on March 24th after a helicopter pilot was forced to drop the test vehicle early when it became unstable, threatening the pilot's safety. The test machine was destroyed as it hadn't reached "target conditions" where the parachutes would be armed, a SpaceX spokesperson told Parabolic Arc.
SpaceX Crew Dragon could fly astronauts to the ISS in early 2020
As expected, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stopped by SpaceX HQ in California and then did a bit of Q&A with the media while standing next to Elon Musk and two astronauts. You can watch video of the entire session below as it was posted to Bridenstine's Twitter feed, but some of the highlights included comments about the Crew Dragon project and the progress made there. While the administrator emphasized the need for more testing, and allowed that schedules could change depending on what they find there, the capsule could be ready for its first crewed "Demo-2" test flight in Q1 of 2020. According to Elon Musk, drop tests that are about to start will evaluate its "Mark 3" parachute design, which has replaced nylon cords with stronger "xylon" material. They also referenced the explosion on the test stand earlier this year, with Bridenstine praising SpaceX's "fail fast" model, as long as it includes fixes before rockets actually take flight. Musk agreed, saying that if things don't fail then you aren't trying hard enough. The explosion was apparently related to a leak somewhere between the launch abort system and orbital maneuvering system, so that area has been redesigned. Overall, everyone seems to be closer to the same page than in weeks past, but we'll have to wait and see if this gets the Commercial Crew program moving sooner rather than later.
