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 i 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 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.
Filed under: Transportation, Science
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Via: Phys.org
Source: NASA, SpaceX