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A senior SpaceX official confirmed Thursday that an "anomaly" during a ground test on April 20 had destroyed a Crew Dragon spacecraft intended to pave the way for the launch of two astronauts this summer. SpaceX Vice President Hans Koenigsmann added that the time that the program was going to be delayed and the date on which a pilot mission could start before the end of the year are not yet known.
"We will learn a lot, and I think this will make the program safer at the end of the day," Koenigsmann, vice president of construction and reliability for SpaceX, told reporters. "In terms of timing, completing the investigation and resolving this anomaly is our main focus at this time. We will see what comes out of it.
While refusing to speculate on the length of the failure investigation, he said, "I hope the survey will be relatively quick. I do not want to completely exclude the current calendar, but it is certainly not good news for the calendar as a whole. "
The Crew Dragon spacecraft was successfully launched in March for an unmanned test flight to the International Space Station. He was being prepared for a flight test of his emergency abandonment system, designed to quickly fire and propel the craft from a faulty servomotor. something went terribly wrong.
In the company's first detailed update, Koenigsmann stated that the accident occurred about half a second before the eight Draco Super Draco stopping engines were launched on a test bench. test located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base.
"On the test bench, we powered Dragon, as planned, and we did tests with Draco thrusters, the smaller propellers that are also part of the Dragon cargo," Koenigsmann said. "And just before we wanted to fire the Super Dracos, there was an anomaly and the vehicle was destroyed."
Spectators along the beaches saw clouds of reddish orange smoke rise above the Air Force station in the aftermath of the incident, indicating to veterans of the launch that toxic hypergolic propellants, like those that propel the thrusters of Crew Dragon's, have been released.
In accordance with the usual procedure for such tests, the area was evacuated well in advance and the winds were blowing offshore. There was no injury.
"Because it was a ground test, we have a lot of data, a huge amount of data from the vehicle and sensors on the ground," said Koenigsmann. "It is too early to confirm a cause, whether it is probable or fundamental, but the initial data indicates that the anomaly occurred when activating the Super Draco system." That said, we are looking at all the possible problems and the investigation is under way. "
He said the abortion engines had been launched hundreds of times in other tests and that "we have no reason to believe that there is a problem with the Super Dracos themselves ".
The thrusters are fed into these engines by helium flowing from several high pressure tanks, rapidly pushing the fuel and the oxidant through a complex network of pipes and valves. Some of the tanks survived the accident and are still under pressure, preventing investigators from retrieving equipment from the test site.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was destroyed dramatically during a ground test in 2016 when a high-pressure helium tank, known as "COPV," was used for the first time. is broken catastrophically. But Koenigsmann said the tanks used on the Crew Dragon had a different design and worked in a different environment. And all were taken into account.
"We have tons of data, but we do not currently have anything to say, oh, it was most likely this or that," he said. "We think, I think, that it was not a Super Draco propeller in itself, but it's pretty much all I can say for the moment."
NASA and SpaceX had hoped to launch another crew dragon late July, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on a test flight to the International Space Station. This mission would have been the first launch of American astronauts aboard an American rocket coming from American ground since the withdrawal of space shuttle in 2011.
Boeing also builds commercial crew ships under contract with NASA with a first flight piloted to the space station scheduled for the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
"Of course we talked to Bob and Doug," said Koenigsmann, referring to Behnken and Hurley. "They were very friendly and contacted us. I have almost the impression that they are encouraging us right now, and they are helping us to keep our motivation and not falling into a hole, basically, and get excited because of that, but rather stay focused. "
In this context, NASA and SpaceX are moving forward in their plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket early Friday on a flight intended to deliver nearly 5,500 pounds of equipment and supplies to the space station. The launch from platform 40 at the Air Force station is scheduled at 3:11 am EDT, when the Dragon freighter can be fired directly into the aircraft from the station's orbit.
The Dragon cargo does not have a Super Draco drop system and NASA officials have agreed with SpaceX engineers that the launch could take place.
"In the end, we did not see any change in our overall measurable risk in the mission," said Kenny Todd, NASA Space Station Operations and Integration Manager. "We feel very comfortable to go ahead with this particular mission."
The cargo flight, the 17th for SpaceX under its current contract with NASA, was originally scheduled to be launched earlier this week, but the mission was delayed due to a malfunction of the electrical distribution box installed on board the aircraft. space station Monday, shooting down two of the laboratory's eight solar collectors. feeding circuits.
The malfunction of the main bus switching unit # 3 also neutralized one of the two circuits feeding the robot arm of the space station. As the arm is used to capture and dock the Dragon freighter spacecraft, NASA has decided to postpone the launch until the flight controllers can use the arm to install a spare unit.
This work was completed early Thursday, restoring redundant power to the robot's arm and paving the way for the launch of the Dragon Friday, in good weather. Forecasters have predicted a 60% chance of a delayed launch due to thick clouds and rain, but conditions should improve to 70% this Saturday.
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