Monday, January 20, 2020

SpaceX Deliberately Destroys Falcon 9 In Successful Crew Launch Demonstration

Hawthorne-based SpaceX successfully completed an in-flight test of its Crew Dragon launch escape system on Sunday, deliberately aborting a Falcon 9 and Dragon launch -- destroying a Falcon 9 on purpose -- as part of its qualifications to send NASA astronauts into space on a Crew Dragon. SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 from the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from Launch Complex 39A, at 10:30 a.m. EST. SpaceX then separated the Falcon 9 from the Crew Dragon, using parachutes to return the Dragon back to earth, landing in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX said the test was intended to demonstrate Crew Dragon's ability to reliably carry crew to safety in the unlikely event of an emergency on ascent.

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