Following the success of the most recent SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule test launch, NASA Astronauts are expected to hop in the new rocket. In the Florida skies on Sunday, Jan. 19, from the Kennedy Space Center launch pad, Elon Musk's SpaceX just launched a rocket and just within about two minutes, it exploded as the company hoped it would.
The Crew Dragon capsule's test
What came before the explosion was the focus of the whole test, which is why in the end, it was deemed as successful. The whole plan of the Crew Dragon is to send astronauts into space as the capsule detaches from the rocket after its launch and the separation was successful during the conducted test.
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SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule design
Bringing astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA was the intent behind the design for the Crew Dragon, but before lives were involved in the procedure, SpaceX had to show that the capsule's escape system would function properly in the event of failure during launch.
The statement of the CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, following the launch said that it is now "probable" to see the first mission involving astronauts to take place as early as 2020's second quarter with his own words "went as well as one could possibly expect."
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Elon Musk's comments on the recent launch
With obvious enthusiasm, Elon Musk said, "I'm super fired up," and that "This is great. This is really great." As the whole test took only about nine minutes from the point of the launch to the splash of the Crew Dragon capsule in the Atlantic Ocean.
NASA's take on the whole test with SpaceX
According to administrator Jim Bridenstine of NASA, the test was a huge success and gave his congratulations to both the SpaceX and NASA teams right after the event.
According to a tweet by Bridenstine, "This critical test puts us on the cusp of once again launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil."
After the separation of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon capsule, the bottom half of the spacecraft dropped off as the spacecraft proceeded to make preparations to enter Earth's atmosphere. There were two sets of parachutes deployed before the splashdown to have control of the descent.
Boeing's involvement with NASA
Another company, aside from SpaceX, which has been involving themselves in space travel, is Boeing. The development of the Starliner was their project, and during the test last December, the Starliner was stopped during its mission to dock at the International Space Station because of a problem within the capsule's internal clock, which in return drove it towards the wrong orbit. Astronauts were not involved in this test which but it is unclear whether or not the future of Boeing's Starliner will see success.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule test launch was a huge success and cements SpaceX's involvement with NASA for the future.
