American rocket company SpaceX has released on Friday the latest footage of the Pad Abort Test of its Crew Dragon capsule, which was launched earlier in May.
The unmanned space flight was designed to test the effectiveness of the company's new capsule abort system that will allow astronauts to steer clear from a malfunctioning rocket during a failed launch.
According to reports, the Pad Abort Test for the Crew Dragon was a success.
"It was a great, great outcome," Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said after the test. "Had there been people on board, they would have been in great shape."
The two-minute video clip was recorded from the point of view of a passenger inside the space vehicle.
It starts off with the Crew Dragon capsule preparing to blast off on its launch pad in Florida.
The capsule's propulsion systems activate its rockets, sending the spacecraft soaring through the sky. SpaceX said the Crew Dragon was able to reach a maximum velocity of 345 miles per hour during the test.
At around the 30 second mark of the video, the capsule separates from its trunk and deploys its parachutes to stabilize its flight.
The three main chutes are then released to allow the spacecraft to safely descend toward the nearby Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX's test of the Crew Dragon capsule lasted for one minute and 39 seconds from the launch of the capsule until it splashed down in the water. The spacecraft flew an estimated 5,000 feet above the ground.
"The successful Pad Abort Test was the first flight test of SpaceX's revolutionary launch abort system, and the data captured here will be critical in preparing Crew Dragon for its first human missions in 2017," the rocket company wrote about the success of the Pad Abort Test.
Developers of the Crew Dragon capsule hope that they will be able to start sending astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) soon as part of its cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
NASA has authorized private companies, such as SpaceX and Boeing, to develop commercial spacecraft capable of transporting people to the ISS in order to end the space agency's dependence on Russian-made space vehicles.
