Dragon In-Flight Abort Test
Falcon 9 Block 5
SpaceX
Mission
Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test
Type: Test Flight
Launch Cost: $52,000,000
When the Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket reaches Max-Q (maximum dynamic forces), the launch abort system of the Crew Dragon spacecraft will be triggered.
This will fire up its SuperDraco engines and propel the spacecraft and its theoretical passengers away from the launch vehicle before landing back safely in the Atlantic Ocean.
The goal of this test is to demonstrate the capacity of the spacecraft to ensure a safe return to the ground for the astronauts in the event of a launch vehicle failure.
The booster for this launch will be B1046, a thrice-flown core which was the first of the Block 5 generation. It will not attempt to land and is expected to be destroyed by the SuperDracos and aerodynamic loads.
Location
Launch Complex 39A
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
207 rockets have launched from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA.
Rocket
Falcon 9 Block 5 – SpaceX
Family: Falcon
Length: 70 m
Diameter: 3.65 m
Launch Mass: 549 T
Low Earth Orbit Capacity: 22800 kg
The Falcon 9 Block 5 was manufactured by SpaceX with the first launch on 2018-05-11. Falcon 9 Block 5 has 121 successful launches and 0 failed launches with a total of 121 launches. Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.
Landing
NO attempt to recover this stage will be made. The booster does not have any recovery hardware installed.
Atlantic – ATL
The Atlantic ocean on the East coast of the United States is a common landing area for expended boosters.
Ocean – Ocean
Typically indicates a landing in which the booster is not recovered.
Agency
SpaceX
Type: Commercial
Abbreviation: SpX
Administration: CEO: Elon Musk
Founded: 2002
Launchers: Falcon
Spacecraft: Dragon
Country: USA
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.
