SpaceX IFA: A couple of preliminary shots of the Crew Dragon abort test, showing the Falcon 9 breaking apart in a fireball — as planned — and debris falling toward the Atlantic Ocean. #SpaceX #NASA #IFA #Space
Space X IFA: What I believe to be my best shot of the day, at the moment of explosion B1046 gave in and Crew Dragon preformed flawlessly moving away from the wreckage & would have secured the Crew's safety. @elonmusk @SpaceX #SpaceX #NASA #IFA #Space
Shockwaves visible around the upper stage as it falls towards the ocean after the #SpaceX #InFlightAbort test. 420mm refractor, ASI290MM, 850 nm IR filter
Awesome launch and a spectacular show during a successful IFA test of @SpaceX Dragon Crew Capsule! Congrats @elonmusk!!
Published on 19 Jan 2020Elon ended up holding a kind of impromptu mini-press conference after the main press conference where he talked a little more about Starship and Raptor!Sorry about the audio, it was just shot on my phone. Thanks for watching!
Remote camera views are rolling in: Here’s your first up-close look at this morning’s Falcon 9 / In-Flight Abort mission!
This morning’s In-Flight Abort test from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A was beautiful.Here’s a few frames of Falcon 9 sending up Crew Dragon! I’m really happy with these — I hope you enjoy them too.
Now *that* is something I haven’t captured before!The windows of the Crew Access Arm at LC-39A dimmed Falcon’s flame enough to see flame detail.How cool! 🤯
The first remote photos are in! #IFA Get the details on today's test with NSF's launch article by @IanPineapple: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/01/spacex-crew-dragon-in-flight-abort-test/
NASA, SpaceX Complete Final Major Flight Test of Crew SpacecraftNASA and SpaceX completed a launch escape demonstration of the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket Sunday. This was the final major flight test of the spacecraft before it begins carrying astronauts to the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.The launch escape test began at 10:30 a.m. EST with liftoff from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a mission to show the spacecraft’s capability to safely separate from the rocket in the unlikely event of an inflight emergency.“This critical flight test puts us on the cusp of returning the capability to launch astronauts in American spacecraft on American rockets from American soil,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “We are thrilled with the progress NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is making and look forward to the next milestone for Crew Dragon.”As part of the test, SpaceX configured Crew Dragon to trigger a launch escape about 1.5 minutes after liftoff. All major functions were executed, including separation, engine firings, parachute deployment and landing. Crew Dragon splashed down at 10:38 a.m. just off the Florida coast in the Atlantic Ocean.“As far as we can tell thus far, it’s a picture perfect mission. It went as well as one can possibly expect,” said Elon Musk, chief engineer at SpaceX. “This is a reflection of the dedication and hard work of the SpaceX and NASA teams to achieve this goal. Obviously, I’m super fired up. This is great.”Teams of personnel from SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force 45th Operations Group’s Detachment-3 out of Patrick Air Force Base will recover the spacecraft for return to SpaceX facilities in Florida and begin the recovery effort of the Falcon 9, which broke apart as planned.“The past few days have been an incredible experience for us,” said astronaut Doug Hurley. “We started with a full dress rehearsal of what Bob and I will do for our mission. Today, we watched the demonstration of a system that we hope to never use, but can save lives if we ever do. It took a lot of work between NASA and SpaceX to get to this point, and we can’t wait to take a ride to the space station soon.”Prior to the flight test, teams completed launch day procedures for the first crewed flight test, from suit-up to launch pad operations. The joint teams now will begin the full data reviews that need to be completed prior to NASA astronauts flying the system during SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission.NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station. Commercial human space transportation to and from the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbiting laboratory. The program also has the benefit of facilitating and promoting for America a vibrant economy in low-Earth orbit.Author James CawleyPosted on January 19, 2020Categories Kennedy Space Center, NASA, SpaceXTags Commercial Crew Program, Crew Dragon, in-flight abort test, Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A, NASA, SpaceX
Crew Dragon separating from Falcon 9 during today’s test, which verified the spacecraft’s ability to carry astronauts to safety in the unlikely event of an emergency
Here’s a sneak peak of our slow mo 4K of today’s #InFlightAbort with a 10” Meade telescope from 3 miles (5 km) away!!! Stay tuned. Much more coming 😍 great work tracking from @considercosmos, awesome software from @astroferg and incredible scope from @OPT_Telescopes 🙌
The Crew Dragon capsule has been recovered from the Atlantic Ocean onto a recovery boat for the trip back to port following this morning’s abort test. spaceflightnow.com/2020/01/17/fal…
Congratulations, @SpaceX team! @Commercial_Crew is that much closer to returning crew launch capabilities to the U.S. in support of our @NASA customer.
Trust me... surviving a rocket failure by way of a successful abort system made today’s test personal. Thank you @SpaceX & @usairforce Guardian Angels!
