The brief test flight of an unmanned SpaceX capsule on Wednesday was the first trial for a system that will allow astronauts to abort their launches should something go awry. It also marked progress for NASA’s plans to once again transport astronauts, replacing the retired space shuttle program with commercially made spacecraft. “I think this bodes quite well for the future of the program,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said after the Dragon capsule’s successful flight. The test, which lasted not quite two minutes, appeared straightforward enough in NASA’s video as the 20-foot capsule launched from Cape Canaveral, deployed its chutes and floated to splashdown. However, the mission’s purpose was to try out an escape plan for astronauts, projecting their capsule out of harm’s way in case of a fire or other accident during launch.
Inside the capsule were a crash dummy and numerous instruments to gather data from the test, Reuters reported.“It was quite a complicated test,” Musk said in Reuters’ report.“It’s kind of like an ejection seat in an airplane. You have the ability to leave the pad sitting in the capsule and the capsule would come off and land,” NASA astronaut Eric Boe said. “It’s one of the things the shuttle didn’t have.” Another test at higher speeds and altitudes is slated for this summer with a Falcon 9 rocket, which will launch from the SpaceX site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Reuters reported.
