NASA's Commercial Crew Program, a public-private partnership focused on developing equipment for human space flight, worked with experts to develop human spaceflight systems. SpaceX recently tested its ability to fire engines for astronauts to have a safe, reliable and cost-effective means to the International Space Station and vice versa by 2017.
SpaceX released a video showing a successful hover test of its human-rated spacecraft, Crew Dragon. Experts tested the spacecraft in McGregor, Texas in November 2015 making sure its SuperDraco engines are working properly.
The company conducted two tethered tests of Crew Dragon mock-up attached to a crane. This is done to make sure the landing software and systems on the spacecraft are refined. The 5-second hover test shows that the company is on its way to achieving propulsive landing which means that when astronauts would ride the capsule, they wouldn't need parachutes to land.
SpaceX's first Dragon spacecraft carries cargo to and from the ISS but the second one would be used for a crewed mission. The test is just one of the many SpaceX will need to perform in order to receive certification for manned missions into space.
The spacecraft is powered by eight SuperDraco thrusters that are designed to slow the vehicle's return to Earth after passing through the atmosphere. This will land the vehicle and the crew safely.
The engines produce around 33,000 pounds of thrust that allow the capsule to hover like an insect. The test shows how the vehicle can be controlled while hovering.
SpaceX, a partner of NASA since September 2014, has been through success and failure in the past month. In Dec. 21, 2015, it successfully launched and returned a reusable spacecraft, Falcon 9. This year, however, the company aimed to land Falcon 9 on a floating barge but failed three times.
With its recent success in Dragon 2 hover test, the company sees more success in the future. For the past years, it has been the aim of many companies and countries to develop a spacecraft to bring humans back and forth to space. This video is a proof that a future spacecraft carrying humans may someday land on other planets, the moon and the ISS safely and easily.
