SpaceX sucessfully tests Crew Dragon abort system – News of Bahrain- DT News

SpaceX sucessfully tests Crew Dragon abort system – News of Bahrain- DT News

SpaceX sucessfully tests Crew Dragon abort system. SpaceX successfully tested its emergency abort system on an unmanned spacecraft moments after launch Sunday, according to a live broadcast of the event, the last major test before it plans to send NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.. The spacecraft ignited its powerful SuperDraco thrusters, propelling it away from the rocket.. On a manned mission, the maneuver is designed to rescue the astronauts in the event the rocket has a problem on ascent or veers off course.. Crew Dragon continued its upward trajectory alone reaching an altitude of about 40 kilometers before beginning its natural descent toward the Atlantic.. Nine minutes after launch, Crew Dragon was in the water, apparently without suffering damage.. Analysis of the spacecraft and flight data will confirm whether the test came off without a hitch, and whether the spacecraft is ready for manned missions.. Since 2011, the United States has had to rely on Russia's Soyuz rockets, the only ones capable of carrying astronauts to the space station once the US retired its space shuttle fleet..