Crew Dragon
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NASA's human spaceflight lead resigns days before Crew Dragon launch
NASA's administrator for human spaceflight, Doug Loverro, has left the agency right before the Crew Dragon launch.
SpaceX Crew Dragon simulator shows what it's like to dock with the ISS
SpaceX has introduced a Crew Dragon simulator that shows what it's like to manually dock the capsule with the International Space Station.
NASA is helping Tom Cruise film a movie in space
NASA has confirmed that it's working with Tom Cruise on a movie that will be shot aboard the International Space Station.
NASA and SpaceX's first crewed flight is set for May 27th
Today, NASA announced that its crewed SpaceX flight will launch on May 27th, The Washington Post reports. The flight will mark the first astronaut launch from US soil since 2011, and it will be the first SpaceX flight carrying passengers, not just cargo.
NASA's iconic 'worm' logo will adorn the Falcon 9 Crew Dragon rocket
When Space X's Crew Dragon craft carries its first complement of astronauts to the International Space Station later this year, it will do so with NASA's iconic "worm" logo emblazoned on the side of its Falcon 9 rocket.
Two more astronauts join SpaceX's first crewed mission to the ISS
Two more astronauts have been assigned to the first operational crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA astronaut Shannon Walker and Noguchi Soichi, of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will join NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover Jr., who were assigned to the mission in 2018. If all goes according to plan, this will be the first in a series of regular Crew Dragon flights to the ISS, NASA said in a press release.
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's Demo-2 test flight is still scheduled for May
SpaceX and NASA are pushing through with Crew Dragon's first manned flight in May. They're gearing up for a mid-to-late May launch, so it'll happen a bit later than the original May 7th target date. However, it doesn't sound like they're expecting the coronavirus outbreak to cause a huge delay. The historic flight will launch humans to space from US soil for the first time since the final space shuttle mission on July 8th, 2011. NASA has been buying seats on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to take its astronauts to the ISS since then.
SpaceX could send private citizens to space as soon as 2021
SpaceX is one step closer to sending private citizens into outer space. The company signed an agreement with Space Adventures to fly space tourists in the Crew Dragon. Up to four individuals will have the opportunity to take flight sometime in late 2021 or 2022.
SpaceX delivers the Crew Dragon capsule to its launch site
The SpaceX Crew Dragon, which is slated to be the first spacecraft to carry humans to orbit from American soil since 2011, has arrived at its Cape Canaveral launch site. NASA and SpaceX are already preparing the vehicle for its first flight manned test and will put it through final testing and prelaunch processing over the next months. If all goes well, the first manned flight test will happen as soon as this spring -- Elon Musk previously revealed that the launch's working date is May 7th -- and will take off with veteran astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken onboard.
The first crewed SpaceX flight could happen around May 7th
Last month, Elon Musk said he expected the SpaceX Crew Dragon to launch, with astronauts onboard, sometime between April and June. Now, Ars Technica's Eric Berger reports that first crewed flight could take off on May 7th. Though, due to "a number of variables not hardware related" the launch could happen in late April or later in May. We don't know yet how long the flight will be.
Elon Musk expects SpaceX's first crewed mission between April and June
Now that SpaceX has completed Crew Dragon's in-flight launch escape test, when can you expect a mission with humans aboard? At last, the company has a more specific answer than early 2020. Company chief Elon Musk told attendees at a post-test conference that the crewed mission to the International Space Station will likely take place in the second quarter of the year, or sometime between April and June. SpaceX was "highly confident" the hardware would be ready in the first quarter, "most likely" in February.
SpaceX successfully completes Crew Dragon launch escape test
SpaceX just completed a major milestone in its quest to carry humans to orbit. The private spaceflight firm has successfully conducted an in-flight test of Crew Dragon's launch escape system, with the capsule jettisoning itself from the Falcon 9 rocket and splashing down in the Atlantic soon afterward. As expected, the host rocket broke apart shortly after the escape due to the sudden change in aerodynamics and pressure.
Watch SpaceX's Crew Dragon in-flight abort test at 10:30AM ET on Sunday
One of the last major steps before SpaceX flies its Crew Dragon craft with real NASA astronauts onboard is an "in-flight abort test." Scheduled to take place during a four-hour window on Saturday, Sunday or Monday morning, it will test the vehicle's ability to safely get back to Earth if there's a problem during ascent.
SpaceX plans to test Crew Dragon's launch escape system on January 18th
SpaceX is edging closer to putting humans aboard Crew Dragon. The private spaceflight firm is planning to test the capsule's launch escape system on January 18th through an in-flight demonstration. The dry run will check that the spacecraft can carry its crew to safety if there's a problem during the ascent stage. The company has already tested launch pad aborts and parachutes.
SpaceX video shows a simulated Crew Dragon mission to the ISS
SpaceX knows firsthand that spaceflight tests don't always go as planned. Earlier this year, an explosion during one such tests destroyed its Crew Dragon capsule. But those working on the project remain optimistic. NASA has said the capsule could be ready for its first crewed "Demo-2" test flight to the ISS in the first quarter of 2020, and today, Elon Musk tweeted a video simulation of what that flight might look like.
SpaceX successfully completes Crew Dragon engine tests without an explosion
SpaceX has successfully completed a round of Crew Dragon tests, which previously ended in an explosion. The space company attempted a similar set of static fire engine tests on April 20th, but it admitted a few days later that the Crew Dragon capsule it used was destroyed. It blamed the explosion on a component that leaked liquid oxidizer into high-pressure helium tubes. The more recent attempt went off without a hitch.
SpaceX completes crucial tests of its Crew Dragon parachutes
SpaceX has demonstrated that its latest Mark 3 Crew Dragon parachutes will work even if things don't go quite to plan. On Twitter, the company showed off a short video clip of a payload landing with only three of four parachutes deployed, and said it has successfully tested the system 13 times in a row.
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 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.
