NASA has announced that SpaceX is preparing the Dragon Crew capsule for a possible test flight piloted by the end of the year – Spaceflight Now

WRITTEN HISTORY FOR NEWS FROM CBS AND USED WITH AUTHORIZATION

Parallel to an investigation into an ongoing failure, SpaceX is preparing for the flight of the downstream Crew Dragon spacecraft in the hope that corrective actions can be implemented in time for the launch of two astronauts to the International Space Station before the end of the year, said a NASA official. Tuesday.

SpaceX successfully launched an unmanned Crew Dragon at the station in March on a mission called Demo 1 and was preparing to launch the same vehicle on another unmanned mission in June to test its abandonment system. emergency. This test was intended to pave the way for a first test flight – Demo 2 – with astronauts on board later this summer.

But on April 20, the Dragon Crew scheduled for the abortion flight test exploded on a test stand at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base just before the planned static firing of the eight Super Abortion Engines. Draco of the capsule. No one was injured, but the Demo 1 capsule was destroyed.

Kathy Lueders, head of NASA 's Commercial Crew Program, told NASA' s advisory panel that the capsule originally intended to carry the first astronauts would now be used for the flight dropping test and that it would have been used. another capsule downstream, originally planned for the first operational crew. The Dragon flight to the ISS will serve as a Demo 2 vehicle.

While not providing details on the cause of the blast or any remedial action that may be needed, Lueders said SpaceX was working to prepare the recently assigned demo 2 capsule, ready to take off. "By the end of the year," treating the spacecraft in such a way that will allow engineers to make the necessary downstream changes.

"We need to close the investigation of the anomalies," she said about the timetable. "I think that's the big thing, we need to make sure we've really learned the lessons from this anomaly investigation, and if we have to modify the vehicle, we'll do it. I think that's the big problem.

"And of course, we still have to pass more critical tests. Passing the dropping test will be a big problem for us. And then we have parachute tests. At the moment, there are no non-critical tests, all tests are large. But SpaceX is working to get this vehicle up and running and launchers ready by the end of the year. "

At the same time, Lueders said that SpaceX was preparing what was once the Demo 2 capsule for the flight dropping test "by the end of July," assuming that the investigation into the Failure to determine the cause of the April 20 accident and corrective actions. are implemented.

SpaceX is leading the investigation into the failure, with the direct involvement of NASA, and virtually no technical details have been communicated to date, no confirmation having been confirmed that the vehicle had been destroyed. during an "anomaly" occurred a moment before the planned ignition of Super Draco abandonment engines.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said in an interview with CBS News last week that SpaceX's perceived lack of franchise in the aftermath of the failed test was unacceptable and promised more updates. fast in the future.

"The resulting communications, from my point of view, were of very poor quality and this can not happen again this way," he said. "People need to have a better understanding earlier in the process and NASA needs to be involved to make sure that what is happening is well communicated."

But, he added, "what we do not want, is to disclose erroneous information because we went too fast".

"NASA and SpaceX, we have very good ideas about the main cause, but we want to make sure we get it right before we continue, because if we do not do it well, we will have to publish new information and create even more confusion "said Bridenstine." What we do not want to do. "

The Commercial Crew Program is the end result of a series of NASA-funded competitions following the withdrawal of the shuttle to develop a new US spacecraft to transport astronauts to and from the low Earth orbit. .

NASA awarded Boeing several contracts totaling $ 4.82 billion for the development of a commercial crew vessel, now named CST-100 Starliner, a capsule that will be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Base at top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas rocket 5.

SpaceX also won a series of contracts totaling some $ 3.1 billion to date for the development of a pilot version of the company's Dragon cargo. The company holds a separate freight contract, valued at $ 3.04 billion, for 20 replenishment flights of space stations, as well as another contract of unspecified amount for at least six additional flights up to In the year 2024.

Lueders said Boeing, who has suffered his own test problems, hopes to be ready for an unmanned test flight at the end of August. The first launch of a CST-100 with astronauts on board is scheduled for the end of this year.