Thursday, January 28, 2016

SpaceX, NASA Test Parachute Landings

Hawthorne-based SpaceX and NASA said late Wednesday that SpaceX has tested the parachutes that it will initially use to land the Space Crew Dragon spacecraft on earth. According to NASA, the testing--done from a C-130 cargo aircraft--is part of the final development and certification work with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. NASA is initially returning its crew back to earth in the Dragon using those parachutes, a tried-and-true technology for the space agency; SpaceX is hoping at some point in the future to instead land those crew back on earth using rocket engines.

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