SpaceX Confirms Dragon Capsule Was Destroyed in Test 'Anomaly', Could Affect Crew Launches
A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule was indeed destroyed during engine tests that went awry last month, a company representative said today (May 2).
On April 20, SpaceX conducted a series of tests on the vehicle — which last month flew a successful uncrewed demonstration mission to the International Space Station (ISS) — on a stand at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Firings of the capsule's small maneuvering Draco thrusters went according to plan, but things went south when the SpaceX team got ready to engage the SuperDraco abort engines, which are designed to rocket Crew Dragon away from danger in the event of a launch emergency.
"We fired them [the Dracos] in two sets each for 5 seconds, and that went very well," Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX, told reporters today (May 2) during a press conference previewing the company's planned cargo launch to the ISS early tomorrow morning (May 3). "And then, just prior, before we wanted to fire the SuperDracos, there was an anomaly and the vehicle was destroyed."
Acknowledgement of the capsule's loss confirms rampant speculation based on a leaked video that circulated via social media shortly after the accident. Koenigsmann declined to comment on the accuracy or origin of the video.
It's too early to identify the cause of the mishap, which remains under investigation, Koenigsmann stressed.
Full story and video at site
"But the initial data indicates that the anomaly occurred during the activation of the SuperDraco system," he said. Activation involves pressurizing the system, he explained: "You make sure everything's primed in — you open valves, you close valves."
The SpaceX team doesn't think the problem lies with the SuperDracos themselves, Koenigsmann said. The engines have endured more than 600 tests at the company's Texas facility, he noted, and performed well during a 2015 "pad abort" test.
Before the April 20 anomaly, SpaceX had aimed to perform a "launch abort" test with this same Crew Dragon vehicle soon — perhaps as early as June. That uncrewed jaunt will put the SuperDracos through their paces during an actual launch.
A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule was indeed destroyed during engine tests that went awry last month, a company representative said today (May 2).
On April 20, SpaceX conducted a series of tests on the vehicle — which last month flew a successful uncrewed demonstration mission to the International Space Station (ISS) — on a stand at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Firings of the capsule's small maneuvering Draco thrusters went according to plan, but things went south when the SpaceX team got ready to engage the SuperDraco abort engines, which are designed to rocket Crew Dragon away from danger in the event of a launch emergency.
"We fired them [the Dracos] in two sets each for 5 seconds, and that went very well," Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX, told reporters today (May 2) during a press conference previewing the company's planned cargo launch to the ISS early tomorrow morning (May 3). "And then, just prior, before we wanted to fire the SuperDracos, there was an anomaly and the vehicle was destroyed."
Acknowledgement of the capsule's loss confirms rampant speculation based on a leaked video that circulated via social media shortly after the accident. Koenigsmann declined to comment on the accuracy or origin of the video.
It's too early to identify the cause of the mishap, which remains under investigation, Koenigsmann stressed.
Full story and video at site
"But the initial data indicates that the anomaly occurred during the activation of the SuperDraco system," he said. Activation involves pressurizing the system, he explained: "You make sure everything's primed in — you open valves, you close valves."
The SpaceX team doesn't think the problem lies with the SuperDracos themselves, Koenigsmann said. The engines have endured more than 600 tests at the company's Texas facility, he noted, and performed well during a 2015 "pad abort" test.
Before the April 20 anomaly, SpaceX had aimed to perform a "launch abort" test with this same Crew Dragon vehicle soon — perhaps as early as June. That uncrewed jaunt will put the SuperDracos through their paces during an actual launch.
