Crew Dragon Launch Abort System

Last updated
Crew Dragon Launch Abort System
Crew Dragon Pad Abort Test (16814592054).jpg
Crew Dragon prototype DragonFly [1] performing a pad abort demonstration.
Manufacturer SpaceX
Country of origin United States
Launch history
StatusOperational
Crew Dragon Launch Abort System
Powered by8 × SuperDraco (4 × pairs of 2) [2]
Maximum thrust71 kN
Burn time25 seconds
Propellant N2O4 / CH6N2

The Crew Dragon Launch Abort System is designed to propel the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft away from a failing launch vehicle. It is equipped with 8 SuperDraco engines, each capable of generating 71 kN of thrust. [3] [4]

Contents

The abort system has several modes, or procedures for performing an abort in different phases of flight, including a pad abort, an in-flight abort, and the ability to use the abort system to fly into a lower than expected orbit should a failure occur late in flight.

Design

A figure showing the Apollo spacecraft's launch abort system. Launch escape system diagram.jpg
A figure showing the Apollo spacecraft's launch abort system.
A diagram showing the configuration of Crew Dragon Endeavor during the Demo-2 mission. Dragon 2 DM-2 03.jpg
A diagram showing the configuration of Crew Dragon Endeavor during the Demo-2 mission.

Traditionally, spacecraft like Apollo and Soyuz have utilized solid-fueled "puller" launch escape systems, with the main spacecraft beneath a protective fairing attached to the escape system. Once in space, the escape system and the fairing are jettisoned, with the spacecraft's mode of abort switched to using its orbital maneuvering thrusters or upper stages. [5] [6] Crew Dragon, however, has its abort system permanently attached to the sides of the spacecraft. [3]

Part of the reasoning behind this design is that it was originally planned to land dragon propulsively using the launch abort system. [7] These plans were dropped after skepticism from NASA and the cancellation of SpaceX's Red Dragon capsule. [8] However, the capability was introduced on Crew-8, though only in the event of a parachute failure. [9] Additionally, the ability to keep the abort system attached to the rocket throughout the entire ascent rather than jettisoning the launch escape system after stage separation allows for an abort capability in all stages of flight, increasing crew safety. [10]

Crew Dragon's "trunk", or cargo bay, also plays an important role in the abort sequence. Rather than leaving the trunk with the rocket like Apollo or Soyuz, Dragon keeps the trunk attached during an abort for aerodynamic stability. [11]

History

Pad Explosion

On 20 April 2019, Crew Dragon C204 was destroyed in an incident while testing its SuperDraco engines. A video leaked shortly the incident after shows the capsule exploding on a launch mount. [12] [13] NASA and SpaceX confirmed the explosion and stated that there were no injuries. [14]

A diagram demonstrating a check valve. Vertical Ball check valve.jpg
A diagram demonstrating a check valve.

Following an investigation, SpaceX stated that the explosion was the result of a faulty valve. During a nominal ignition sequence, valves keeping helium inside COPVs (Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels) are opened, causing the helium to flow through one-way "check" valves into the propellant tanks, pushing the fuel into the combustion chamber. [15]

In this incident, however, the one-way oxidizer valve had allowed nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) to leak back through the helium tube. [16] When the helium valve was opened, the "blobs" of NTO inside the helium line were accelerated at high speeds, slamming into and nearly instantaneously destroying the one-way oxidizer valve. The internal titanium components of the destroyed valve were then exposed to the NTO, resulting in combustion and the loss of the vehicle. [17] [18]

In-Flight Abort Test

A video of the in-flight abort test.

On 19 January 2020, SpaceX conducted a test of Crew Dragon's launch abort system. [19]

After a successful liftoff, the launch abort sequence was initiated 1 minute and 26 seconds into flight. Crew Dragon C205 successfully separated with the Falcon 9 rocket, with the rocket breaking up seconds later under the intense aerodynamic forces of max-q. [20]

After separating the trunk, Crew Dragon reached an apogee of 42 kilometers before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean. [21] [22]

Abort modes

The Crew Dragon has multiple abort modes for different phases of flight, each with its own landing zones and procedures. As the flight progresses, SpaceX mission control calls out switches between abort modes.

For typical launches, recovery zones are placed along the 51.64-degree inclination [23] of the ISS, and can be targeted with higher levels of precision than spacecraft such as Orion [24] and Shenzhou due to the throttling abilities of the SuperDraco engines. The recovery areas for a 2a type abort are along the East Coast of the United States and the Canadian Maritime provinces, with a 2b abort landing the Crew Dragon capsule near Nova Scotia and the 2c and 2d abort modes resulting in a landing in Western Ireland. [25] 1a and 1b aborts result in landings near the American East Coast.

TimePhaseRecovery zone [26] [25]
T − 37 minutesPad abortLaunch abort armed; recovery zone in Florida coast
T + 00 minutes 00 secondsStage 1aRecovery zones from Florida coast to North Carolina
T + 01 minutes 15 secondsStage 1bRecovery zones along Virginia coast
T + 02 minutes 32 secondsStage 2aStage separation; recovery zones along North American east coast
T + 08 minutes 05 secondsStage 2bRetrograde burn to land near Nova Scotia
T + 08 minutes 28 secondsStage 2cPrograde burn to land west of Ireland
T + 08 minutes 38 secondsStage 2dRetrograde burn to land west of Ireland
T + 08 minutes 44 secondsStage 2eUses SuperDracos and Dracos to abort to orbit

See also

Related Research Articles

<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">Pressure-fed engine</span> Rocket engine operation method

The pressure-fed engine is a class of rocket engine designs. A separate gas supply, usually helium, pressurizes the propellant tanks to force fuel and oxidizer to the combustion chamber. To maintain adequate flow, the tank pressures must exceed the combustion chamber pressure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reusable spacecraft</span> Spacecraft designed for repeated use and reusability

Reusable spacecraft are spacecraft capable of repeated launch, atmospheric reentry, and landing or splashdown. This contrasts with expendable spacecraft which are designed to be discarded after use. Agencies operating reusable spacecraft aim to have lower costs and higher flight frequencies.

A pad abort test is a kind of test of a launch escape system which conducted by setting the system along with the spacecraft still on the ground and let the system activate to carry the spacecraft flying away, then separate in the air and make the spacecraft land safely. The purpose of the test is to determine how well the system could get the crew of a spacecraft to safety in an emergency on the launch pad. As the spacecraft is set still on the ground, the test is also called "zero-altitude abort test" in against "high-altitude abort test".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Draco</span> Line of hypergolic liquid rocket engines by SpaceX

The SpaceX Draco is a hypergolic liquid rocket engine designed and built by SpaceX for use in their space capsules. Two engine types have been built to date: Draco and SuperDraco.

<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">Development of the Commercial Crew Program</span> NASA space program partnership with space companies

Development of the Commercial Crew Program (CCDev) began in the second round of the program, which was rescoped from a smaller technology development program for human spaceflight to a competitive development program that would produce the spacecraft to be used to provide crew transportation services to and from the International Space Station (ISS). To implement the program, NASA awarded a series of competitive fixed-price contracts to private vendors starting in 2011. Operational contracts to fly astronauts were awarded in September 2014 to SpaceX and Boeing, and NASA expected each company to complete development and achieve crew rating in 2017. Each company performed an uncrewed orbital test flight in 2019.

Dragon 2 <i>DragonFly</i> SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft prototype

The Dragon 2 DragonFly was a prototype suborbital rocket-powered test vehicle for a propulsively-landed version of the SpaceX Dragon 2. DragonFly underwent testing in Texas at the McGregor Rocket Test Facility in October 2015. However, the development eventually ceased as the verification burden imposed by NASA was too great to justify it.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SuperDraco</span> Family of rocket engines developed by SpaceX for use on its Crewed Dragon spacecraft

SuperDraco is a hypergolic propellant rocket engine designed and built by SpaceX. It is part of the SpaceX Draco family of rocket engines. A redundant array of eight SuperDraco engines provides fault-tolerant propulsion for use as a launch escape system for the SpaceX Dragon 2, a passenger-carrying space capsule.

<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">Boeing Crew Flight Test</span> First crewed launch of the Boeing Starliner

Boeing Crew Flight Test (Boe-CFT) was the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner capsule. Launched on 5 June 2024, the mission flew a crew of two NASA astronauts, Barry E. Wilmore and Sunita Williams, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the International Space Station. The mission was meant to last eight days, ending on 14 June with a landing in the American Southwest. However, Starliner's thrusters malfunctioned as it approached the ISS. After more than two months of investigation, NASA decided it was too risky to return Wilmore and Williams to Earth aboard Starliner. Instead, the Boeing spacecraft returned uncrewed on 7 September 2024, and the astronauts will ride down on the SpaceX Crew-9 spacecraft in February 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test</span> Post-launch abort test of the SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft

The Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test 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. 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.

<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>Endeavour</i> SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft

Crew Dragon Endeavour is the first operational Crew Dragon reusable spacecraft manufactured and operated by SpaceX. The spacecraft is named after Space ShuttleEndeavour. 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, the SpaceX Crew-6 mission that launched in March 2023, and the SpaceX Crew-8 mission from early March 2024 to late October 2024. As of November 2024, Endeavour holds the single-mission record for the most time in orbit by an American crewed spacecraft at 235 days.

<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.

References

  1. ↑ "Elon Musk's SpaceX Plans DragonFly Landing Tests". NBC News. 2014-05-21. Archived from the original on 2024-08-20. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  2. ↑ Rauf, Jim (2023-10-19). "SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft" (PDF). uc.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  3. 1 2 SpaceX. "SpaceX Dragon Overview". SpaceX.com. Archived from the original on 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  4. ↑ Berger, Eric (2016-04-30). "From zero to 100mph in 1.2 seconds, the SuperDraco thruster delivers". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2024-09-26. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  5. ↑ Gilbert, Michael G. (2015-01-09). "THE MAX LAUNCH ABORT SYSTEM – CONCEPT, FLIGHT TEST, AND EVOLUTION" (PDF). NASA Technical Reports Server. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  6. ↑ Weitering, Hanneke (2019-04-24). "The Emergency Launch Abort Systems of SpaceX and Boeing Explained". Space.com. Archived from the original on 2024-09-26. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  7. ↑ Karcz; Davis; Aftosmis; Allen; Bakhtian; Dyakanov; Glass; Gonzales; Heldmann; Lemke; Marinova; McKay; Stoker; Wooster; Zarchi (2012-05-10). "RED DRAGON: LOW-COST ACCESS TO THE SURFACE OF MARS USING COMMERCIAL CAPABILITIES" (PDF). NASA Technical Reports Server. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-05-21. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  8. ↑ Foust, Jeff (2017-07-19). "SpaceX drops plans for powered Dragon landings". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  9. ↑ Clark, Stephen (2024-09-28). "SpaceX launches mission to bring Starliner astronauts back to Earth". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  10. ↑ Harwood, William (2020-05-27). "SpaceX Crew Dragon abort system a major boost for crew safety - CBS News". cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  11. ↑ Jordan, Gary; Reed, Benji (2019-09-27). "The SpaceX Crew Dragon - NASA". NASA - Houston, we have a podcast. Archived from the original on 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  12. ↑ Berger, Eric (2019-04-22). "Here's what we know, and what we don't, about the Crew Dragon accident". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  13. ↑ Mathewson, Samantha (2019-05-01). "NASA Workers Warned About Sharing Images After SpaceX Explosion Video Leak: Report". Space.com. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  14. ↑ Ryan, Jackson (2019-04-25). "NASA urges patience as SpaceX investigates the Crew Dragon explosion". CNET. Archived from the original on 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  15. ↑ Cannon, James L. (2010-10-05). "Liquid Propulsion: Propellant Feed System Design" (PDF). NASA Technical Reports Server. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  16. ↑ Harwood, William (2019-07-15). "SpaceX: Explosion that destroyed Crew Dragon spacecraft in April was caused by leaking valve - CBS News". cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  17. ↑ SpaceX (2019-07-15). "UPDATE: IN-FLIGHT ABORT STATIC FIRE TEST ANOMALY INVESTIGATION | SpaceX". SpaceX.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  18. ↑ Foust, Jeff (2019-07-16). "SpaceX Says Faulty Valve Led to Crew Dragon Test Accident". Space.com. Archived from the original on 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  19. ↑ Thompson, Amy (2020-01-19). "SpaceX aces Crew Dragon launch abort test, destroys rocket on purpose". Space.com. Archived from the original on 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  20. ↑ ScienceAlert (2020-01-19). "With a Spectacular Explosion, SpaceX's Crew Dragon Just Passed a Crucial Safety Test". ScienceAlert. Archived from the original on 2022-08-13. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  21. ↑ Malik, Tariq (2020-01-19). "How SpaceX's Crew Dragon launch abort test today works in 10 not-so-easy steps". Space.com. Archived from the original on 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  22. ↑ Atkinson, Ian (2020-01-17). "SpaceX conducts successful Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  23. ↑ NASA. "International Space Station - NASA". NASA.gov. Archived from the original on 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  24. ↑ Jones, Daniel L. (2015-03-03). "Orion Launch Abort System (LAS) | Propulsion on Pad Abort 1 (PA-1)" (PDF). NASA Technical Reports Server. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  25. 1 2 Gebhardt, Chris (2020-05-21). "Examining Crew Dragon's launch abort modes and splashdown locations". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 2024-09-26. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  26. ↑ DeSisto, Austin (2020-05-24). "Crew Dragon Launch Day Timeline: From Suit Up to Docking with the ISS". Everyday Astronaut. Archived from the original on 2024-09-26. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
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.