Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test
Falcon 9 booster B1046.4 is destroyed by aerodynamic forces following the ejection of Crew Dragon C205 | |
| Names |
|
|---|---|
| Mission type | Technology demonstration |
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Mission duration | 8 minutes and 54 seconds |
| Apogee | 42 km (138,000 ft) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Crew Dragon C205 |
| Spacecraft type | Crew Dragon |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 January 2020, 15:30:00 UTC (10:30 am EST) |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 B1046-4 |
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC‑39A |
| End of mission | |
| Recovered by |
|
| Landing date | 19 January 2020, 15:38:54 UTC (10:38:54 am EST) |
| Landing site | Atlantic Ocean |
Mission patch | |
The Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test (also known as Crew Dragon Launch Escape Demonstration) was a successful test of the SpaceX Dragon 2 abort system, conducted on 19 January 2020. It was the final assessment for the Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 launch system before they would be certified to carry humans into space. Booster B1046.4 and an uncrewed capsule C205 were launched from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) on a suborbital trajectory, followed by an in-flight abort of the capsule at max Q and supersonic speed. The test was carried out successfully: the capsule pulled itself away from the booster after launch control commanded the abort, and landed safely.