Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test

Last updated

Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test
Booster Explosion during SpaceX's In Flight Abort.jpg
Falcon 9 booster B1046.4 is destroyed by aerodynamic forces following the ejection of Crew Dragon C205
Names
  • SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test
  • Crew Dragon Launch Escape Demonstration
Mission type Technology demonstration
Operator SpaceX
Mission duration8 minutes and 54 seconds
Apogee42 km (138,000 ft) [1]
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftCrew Dragon  C205
Spacecraft type Crew Dragon
ManufacturerSpaceX
Start of mission
Launch date19 January 2020, 15:30:00 (19 January 2020, 15:30:00)  UTC (10:30 am  EST)
Rocket Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1046.4)
Launch site Kennedy, LC‑39A
End of mission
Recovered by
Landing date19 January 2020, 15:38:54 (19 January 2020, 15:38:54)  UTC (10:38:54 am  EST)
Landing site Atlantic Ocean
Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test.png
Mission patch

The Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test (also known as Crew Dragon Launch Escape Demonstration [5] ) was a successful test of the SpaceX Dragon 2 abort system, conducted on 19 January 2020. It was the final assessment for the Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 launch system before they would be certified to carry humans into space. [6] Booster B1046.4 and an uncrewed capsule C205 were launched from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) on a suborbital trajectory, followed by an in-flight abort of the capsule at max Q and supersonic speed. The test was carried out successfully: the capsule pulled itself away from the booster after launch control commanded the abort, and landed safely.

Contents

Background

For the Commercial Crew Program, NASA requires participating companies to include and test a launch escape system in their crew-carrying vehicles. [7] Prior to this, the last time American crewed spaceflight implemented the capability to escape a rocket during an emergency or anomaly was on the Saturn IB launch vehicle during Skylab missions and Apollo-Soyuz. [8] The Saturn's successor, the Space Shuttle, had no system to eject the crew compartment from the rest of the spacecraft and launch stack at any time after two-person test flights had ended, [9] and had limited launch abort options. [10] The Space Shuttle program had fourteen astronaut casualties during its 30-year duration, half of which occurred when a booster rocket failed during ascent. [11] NASA heavily emphasized crew safety during successor programs. [7] [12] The need for an effective launch escape system was further amplified by the launch failure of Soyuz MS-10 in 2018, [13] during which American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin had their lives saved by the rocket's abort system. [14]

Illustration of a Crew Dragon launch abort SpaceX In-flight Abort Illustration.jpg
Illustration of a Crew Dragon launch abort

The SpaceX in-flight abort test was envisioned as a separation and abort scenario in the troposphere at transonic velocities during max Q, where the vehicle experiences maximum aerodynamic pressure. Dragon 2 would use its SuperDraco abort engines to push itself away from the Falcon 9 after an intentional premature engine cutoff. The vehicle would reorient, deploy parachutes and soft-land in the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier, this test had been scheduled before the uncrewed orbital test, [15] however, SpaceX and NASA considered it safer to use a capsule capable of spaceflight rather than the test article from the pad abort test. [16] The flight would have launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-4E on board a modified three-engine Falcon 9, which was possibly F9R Dev2. [17]

After the change of plan, the test would have used the C204 capsule, which successfully flew Demo-1, however, C204 was destroyed in an explosion during a static fire test on 20 April 2019. [18] Capsule C205, originally planned for Demo-2, replaced C204 in the In-Flight Abort Test; C206 was subsequently used for Demo-2. [19] The capsule was fitted with sensors on its seats, which measured the forces exerted on the crew if they would go through a Dragon launch abort. [20] [21] NASA and SpaceX also decided to test the newly developed Mark 3 parachute system for Dragon this flight, as they deemed it much safer to use for crewed missions than the then-operational Mark 2. [22]

The Dragon escape test was to be a full-scale simulation conducted on a previously flown Falcon 9. Originally, the flight-proven first stage chosen to be used for the test was B1048, [23] but it was eventually decided to be B1046, the first of the human-rated Falcon 9 Block 5 boosters to be built and flown. The launch stack included a fully loaded second stage with a dummy weight instead of a functional vacuum engine. [19]

As the flight was the final test before SpaceX and NASA were to fly crew to the International Space Station, it was used by all parties involved to practice various procedures surrounding the launch and abort. [20] [24] Prior to the actual abort test, NASA and SpaceX conducted an all-in simulation of events leading up to an actual crew launch, including crew suit-up and travel to the pad. [6] For this test, preparing recovery vessels and personnel for emergency and contingency situations was deemed particularly important. [20] After delaying because of weather and visibility issues, Falcon 9 lifted off at 15:30:00 UTC, at Kennedy Space Center from LC-39A, on January 19, 2020.

Mission

Excerpts of the NASA-SpaceX joint webcast of the abort test (video)

The abort test was a full simulation of a malfunction on a nominal trajectory to the International Space Station. [5] The abort was triggered by a command from ground control. [25] At T+1:25 minutes, the booster engines shut down and the capsule separated itself from the booster. The abort was triggered at a speed of Mach 2.2. Dragon flew approximately 1 mi (1.6 km) away from Falcon within a few seconds and experienced a maximum acceleration force of around 3.5 Gs. [22]

As expected, [13] [20] the rocket disintegrated into a fireball after its blunt end was exposed to the supersonic airstream following the escape of Dragon; as a result, the booster began tumbling and its propellant tanks gave way. The second stage was seen breaking apart from the booster in one piece, and it remained so until it impacted the ocean and exploded. [21]

The capsule followed its suborbital trajectory to an apogee of around 138.000 ft (42 km), and jettisoned its trunk and fins into the ocean before positioning itself for descent and successfully deploying both drogue chutes and all four main parachutes. All major functions to be performed during abort were executed without anomalies. Capsule C205 splashed down at 15:38:54 UTC just off the Florida coast in the Atlantic Ocean. [26] The capsule's unpressurized trunk section survived reentry and was recovered by GO Searcher in more or less intact condition, being the only Dragon trunk to survive a reentry and to be recovered successfully. [27] [28] [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A</span> Historic launch pad operated by NASA and SpaceX

Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) is the first of Launch Complex 39's three launch pads, located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The pad, along with Launch Complex 39B, was first constructed in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V launch vehicle, and has been used to support NASA crewed space flight missions, including the historic Apollo 11 moon landing and the Space Shuttle. The site is currently leased by SpaceX and supports launches of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Launch escape system</span> A system to get the crew to safety if a rocket launch fails

A launch escape system (LES) or launch abort system (LAS) is a crew-safety system connected to a space capsule. It is used in the event of a critical emergency to quickly separate the capsule from its launch vehicle in case of an emergency requiring the abort of the launch, such as an impending explosion. The LES is typically controlled by a combination of automatic rocket failure detection, and a manual activation for the crew commander's use. The LES may be used while the launch vehicle is on the launch pad, or during its ascent. Such systems are usually of three types:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39</span> Historic Apollo Moonport

Launch Complex 39 (LC-39) is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, United States. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built as the Apollo program's "Moonport" and later modified for the Space Shuttle program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boilerplate (spaceflight)</span> Nonfunctional spacecraft or payload

A boilerplate spacecraft, also known as a mass simulator, is a nonfunctional craft or payload that is used to test various configurations and basic size, load, and handling characteristics of rocket launch vehicles. It is far less expensive to build multiple, full-scale, non-functional boilerplate spacecraft than it is to develop the full system. In this way, boilerplate spacecraft allow components and aspects of cutting-edge aerospace projects to be tested while detailed contracts for the final project are being negotiated. These tests may be used to develop procedures for mating a spacecraft to its launch vehicle, emergency access and egress, maintenance support activities, and various transportation processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40</span> Rocket launch site in Florida, US

Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), sometimes referred to as "Slick Forty," is a launch pad located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Initially opened as Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) and used by the United States Air Force for 55 launches of rockets from the Titan family between 1965 and 2005. In 2007, SpaceX acquired a lease for SLC-40 and has since transformed the complex into a high-volume launch site for the Falcon 9 rocket. As of August 2024, the pad has hosted over 200 Falcon 9 launches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Starliner</span> Class of partially reusable crew capsules

The Boeing Starliner is a spacecraft designed to transport crew to and from the International Space Station (ISS) and other low-Earth-orbit destinations. Developed by Boeing under NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), it consists of a reusable crew capsule and an expendable service module.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Dragon 2</span> 2020s class of partially reusable spacecraft

Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed, manufactured, and operated by American space company SpaceX for flights to the International Space Station (ISS) and private spaceflight missions. The spacecraft, which consists of a reusable space capsule and an expendable trunk module, has two variants: the 4-person Crew Dragon and Cargo Dragon, a replacement for the Dragon 1 cargo capsule. The spacecraft launches atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, and the capsule returns to Earth through splashdown. Since 2020, when Dragon 2 flew its first crewed and uncrewed flights, it has proven to be the most cost-effective spacecraft ever used by NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX CRS-10</span> 2017 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

SpaceX CRS-10, also known as SpX-10, was a Dragon Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station (ISS) which launched on 19 February 2017. The mission was contracted by NASA as part of its Commercial Resupply Services program and was launched by SpaceX aboard the 30th flight of the Falcon 9 rocket. The mission ended on 19 March 2017 when the Dragon spacecraft left the ISS and safely returned to Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crew Dragon Demo-1</span> Demonstration flight of the SpaceX Dragon 2

Crew Dragon Demo-1 was the first orbital test of the Dragon 2 spacecraft. The mission launched on 2 March 2019 at 07:49:03 UTC, and arrived at the International Space Station on 3 March 2019, a little over 24 hours after the launch. The mission ended with a splashdown on 8 March 2019 at 13:45:08 UTC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crew Dragon Demo-2</span> First crewed flight of Crew Dragon

Crew Dragon Demo-2 was the first crewed test flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. The spacecraft, named Endeavour, launched on 30 May 2020 on a Falcon 9 rocket, and carried NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station in the first crewed orbital spaceflight launched from the United States since the final Space Shuttle mission in 2011, and the first ever operated by a commercial provider. Demo-2 was also the first two-person orbital spaceflight launched from the United States since STS-4 in 1982. Demo-2 completed the validation of crewed spaceflight operations using SpaceX hardware and received human-rating certification for the spacecraft, including astronaut testing of Crew Dragon capabilities on orbit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Dragon 1</span> Partially reusable cargo space capsule

SpaceX Dragon 1 was a class of fourteen partially reusable cargo spacecraft developed by SpaceX, an American private space transportation company. The spacecraft flew 23 missions between 2010 and 2020. Dragon was launched into orbit by the company's Falcon 9 launch vehicle to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). It was succeeded by the Dragon 2 spacecraft which has both crewed and cargo versions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Crew-1</span> 2020 American crewed spaceflight to the ISS and maiden flight of Crew Dragon Resilience

SpaceX Crew-1 was the first operational crewed flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the maiden flight of the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft. It was also the second crewed orbital flight launch by the United States since that of STS-135 in July 2011. Resilience launched on 16 November 2020 at 00:27:17 UTC on a Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, along with JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, all members of the Expedition 64 crew. The mission was the second overall crewed orbital flight of the Crew Dragon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial Crew Program</span> NASA human spaceflight program for the International Space Station

The Commercial Crew Program (CCP) provides commercially operated crew transportation service to and from the International Space Station (ISS) under contract to NASA, conducting crew rotations between the expeditions of the International Space Station program. American space manufacturer SpaceX began providing service in 2020, using the Crew Dragon spacecraft, and NASA plans to add Boeing when its Boeing Starliner spacecraft becomes operational no earlier than 2025. NASA has contracted for six operational missions from Boeing and fourteen from SpaceX, ensuring sufficient support for ISS through 2030.

Crew Dragon <i>Resilience</i> SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft

Crew Dragon Resilience is the second operational Crew Dragon reusable spacecraft manufactured and operated by SpaceX. It first launched on 16 November 2020 to the International Space Station (ISS) on the SpaceX Crew-1 mission, the first operational flight of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. It was subsequently used for Inspiration4 in 2021, the first private spaceflight mission with an all-civilian crew, and the Polaris Dawn mission in September 2024.

Crew Dragon <i>Endeavour</i> SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft

Crew Dragon Endeavour is the first operational Crew Dragon reusable spacecraft manufactured and operated by SpaceX. It first launched on 30 May 2020 to the International Space Station (ISS) on the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. It has subsequently been used for the SpaceX Crew-2 mission that launched in April 2021, the private Axiom Mission 1 that launched in April 2022, and the SpaceX Crew-6 mission that launched in March 2023. It is currently in orbit after launching the SpaceX Crew-8 mission in March 2024. The capsule was named after Space ShuttleEndeavour. As of August 2024, Endeavour holds the record for the most time in orbit by a crewed spacecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crew Dragon C204</span> SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft

Crew Dragon C204 was part of Crew Dragon flight vehicle SN 2-1 manufactured and operated by SpaceX and used by NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Used in the uncrewed Demo-1 mission, it was launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket on 2 March 2019, arriving at the International Space Station on 3 March 2019. It was the first orbital test flight of the Dragon 2 spacecraft. The spacecraft was unexpectedly destroyed on 20 April 2019 during a separate test when firing the SuperDraco engines at Landing Zone 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crew Dragon Pad Abort Test</span>

The Crew Dragon Pad Abort Test was a spacecraft test conducted by SpaceX on 6 May 2015 from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. As part of the development of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, the test demonstrated the spacecraft's abort system capability, verifying the capsule's eight side-mounted SuperDraco thrusters' capability to quickly power itself away from a failing rocket while it is still on the ground. It was one of the two tests conducted by SpaceX on the abort system of spacecraft, the other one being the Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test conducted on 19 January 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crew Dragon C205</span> Space capsule

Crew Dragon C205 is a Crew Dragon capsule manufactured and built by SpaceX. It completed its only flight on January 19, 2020, with the Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test mission where the capsule detached from the Falcon 9 B1046 booster at max q using the SuperDraco abort thrusters. This was done to test the functionality of the abort thrusters in an operational rocket launch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Crew-9</span> Planned 2024 American crewed spaceflight to the ISS

SpaceX Crew-9 is planned to be the ninth operational NASA Commercial Crew Program flight and the 15th crewed orbital flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft. Originally scheduled to launch a crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS) in mid-August 2024, the mission was delayed by more than a month due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner Calypso spacecraft that was docked at the ISS for the Boeing Crew Flight Test. NASA ultimately decided to send the Starliner back to Earth uncrewed and will launch Crew-9 with two crew members and return with the two crew members of the Boeing Crew Flight Test. After that delay and other delays largely due to weather, Crew-9 is scheduled to launch no earlier than 28 September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crew Dragon Launch Abort System</span> The launch escape system of the crew dragon capsule

The Crew Dragon Launch Abort System is a propulsive device designed to accelerate the SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacecraft away from a failing rocket. It is equipped with 8 SuperDraco engines capable of generating 71 kN of thrust.

References

  1. ↑ Clark, Stephen (14 January 2020). "Video: Preview of dramatic Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "SpaceX surprises after recovering spacecraft 'trunk' in one piece". Teslarati. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  3. ↑ "The trunk is on board GO Navigator". Twitter. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "Dragon trunk from in-flight abort test is in surprisingly good shape!". Twitter. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Crew Dragon Launch Escape Demonstration – Press Kit" (PDF). SpaceX.
  6. 1 2 Northon, Karen (19 January 2020). "NASA, SpaceX Complete Final Major Flight Test of Crew Spacecraft". NASA. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  7. 1 2 Cooke, Douglas R. (9 December 2012). "Commercial Crew Transportation System Certification Requirements for NASA Low Earth Orbit Missions" (PDF). NASA.
  8. ↑ "SATURN IB FACT SHEET | Spaceline" . Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "A Quick History of Launch Escape Systems". airandspace.si.edu. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  10. ↑ NASA; United Space Alliance. "Contingency Aborts" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2015.
  11. ↑ Borenstein, Seth. "A look at people killed during space missions". phys.org. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  12. ↑ Regan, Rebecca. "Safety Requirements Shape Commercial Crew Designs". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  13. 1 2 Nardi, Tom (16 January 2020). "A SpaceX Falcon 9 Will Blow Up Very Soon, And That's OK". Hackaday. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  14. ↑ Space X launch scrubbed, flight aims to test safety procedures , retrieved 12 February 2023
  15. ↑ Foust, Jeff (4 February 2016). "SpaceX seeks to accelerate Falcon 9 production and launch rates this year". SpaceNews. Retrieved 21 March 2016. Shotwell said the company is planning an in-flight abort test of the Crew Dragon spacecraft before the end of this year, where the vehicle uses its thrusters to separate from a Falcon 9 rocket during ascent. That will be followed in 2017 by two demonstration flights to the International Space Station, the first without a crew and the second with astronauts on board, and then the first operational mission.
  16. ↑ Siceloff, Steven (1 July 2015). "More Fidelity for SpaceX In-Flight Abort Reduces Risk". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016. In the updated plan, SpaceX would launch its uncrewed flight test (Demo-1), refurbish the flight test vehicle, then conduct the in-flight abort test prior to the crew flight test. Using the same vehicle for the in-flight abort test will improve the realism of the ascent abort test and reduce risk.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  17. ↑ Bergin, Chris (10 April 2015). "SpaceX conducts tanking test on In-Flight Abort Falcon 9". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  18. ↑ Shanklin, Emily (15 July 2019). "UPDATE: IN-FLIGHT ABORT STATIC FIRE TEST ANOMALY INVESTIGATION". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  19. 1 2 Atkinson, Ian (17 January 2020). "SpaceX conducts successful Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  20. 1 2 3 4 NASA (17 January 2020). "SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test Prelaunch News Conference". NASA Image and Video Library.
  21. 1 2 Manley, Scott (19 January 2020). "SpaceX Explodes A Rocket To Show That It's Safe". YouTube.
  22. 1 2 Elon Musk & NASA Discuss Successful In Flight Abort Test , retrieved 23 December 2022.
  23. ↑ Musk, Elon (22 February 2019). "Crew Dragon high altitude abort test" . Retrieved 2 February 2023– via Twitter.
  24. ↑ Clark, Stephen. "SpaceX abort test serves as practice run for astronauts, rescue teams". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  25. ↑ How Space X Can Save Astronauts From A Rocket Explosion | Nasa & Space X: Journey To The Future , retrieved 8 April 2023.
  26. ↑ "NASA, SpaceX Complete Final Major Flight Test of Crew Spacecraft". NASA.gov. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  27. ↑ "SpaceX surprises after recovering spacecraft 'trunk' in one piece". Teslarati. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  28. ↑ "The trunk is on board GO Navigator". Twitter. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  29. ↑ "Dragon trunk from in-flight abort test is in surprisingly good shape!". Twitter. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.