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On Saturday, a test version of SpaceX's new passenger spacecraft, the Crew Dragon, was found in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The accident occurred in large feathers of smoke rising from the company's facility on the Florida coast, according to Florida Today. NASA astronauts were supposed to take their first flight on the spacecraft in July.
"Earlier today, SpaceX conducted a series of tests on a Crew Dragon test vehicle on our test stand at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, Florida," a SpaceX spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. "The initial tests completed successfully the final test result in an anomaly on the test stand." The Air Force's 45th Space Wing Florida Today, which oversees launches out of Cape Canaveral.
SpaceX has been testing NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, as part of the space agency's Commercial Crew Program. In March, SpaceX successfully launched a Crew Dragon capsule for the first time on the company's Falcon 9 rocket, sending the spacecraft on a test flight to the ISS. During the mission, the uncrewed capsule is loaded with the space station for the first time in the Atlantic Ocean afterward using a series of four parachutes. Crew Dragon was able to do this, but it was a major hurdle that SpaceX needed to make a difference.
NASA has been notified about the results of the @SpaceX Static Fire Test and the anomaly that occurred during the final test. We will work closely with our Commercial Crew Program. pic.twitter.com/yE2J5yGzA7
– Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) April 21, 2019
Since then, SpaceX has been preparing for its next big milestone, a test of the Crew Dragon's emergency abort system. The capsule is equipped with eight small engines known as SuperDracos that can fire during a launch and remove the Crew Dragon from a rocket that may be experiencing some kind of failure after launch. SpaceX was scheduled to test out this system during a short flight in June, by firing the engines on the Crew Dragon a few minutes after takeoff. SpaceX planned to use the same Crew Dragon test vehicle that it flew in March, which was tested today, according to a source familiar with the matter. SpaceX was testing out the SuperDracos during today's accident, though the company did not exactly blame it for the failure.
The company says it is looking for help from NASA. "SpaceX said in a statement." "Ensuring that our systems meet rigorous safety standards and detecting anomalies," SpaceX said in a statement. "Our teams are investigating and working closely with our NASA partners." NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine also confirmed the agency is looking into the issue.
Now, today's event will likely change SpaceX's schedule moving forward, as the company investigates the failure. In the meantime, NASA's second Commercial Crew partner, Boeing, is scheduled to fly its passenger spacecraft, the CST-100 Starliner, for the first time without a crew in August, followed by the first crewed flight of the vehicle sometime before the end the year. Before this event, SpaceX was poised to fly crews first, but now the two companies may be more lined up in schedule.
Additional reporting by Sean O'Kane.
Update April 20th, 8:12 PM ET: This post was updated to include a statement from the NASA administrator and clarify the Crew Dragon used for the test.
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