Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test

Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test
Falcon 9 booster B1046.4 is destroyed by aerodynamic forces following the ejection of Crew Dragon C205
Names
  • SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test
  • Crew Dragon Launch Escape Demonstration
Mission typeTechnology demonstration
OperatorSpaceX
Mission duration8 minutes and 54 seconds
Apogee42 km (138,000 ft)[1]
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftCrew Dragon C205
Spacecraft typeCrew Dragon
ManufacturerSpaceX
Start of mission
Launch date19 January 2020, 15:30:00 (19 January 2020, 15:30:00) UTC (10:30 am EST)
RocketFalcon 9 Block 5 (B1046.4)
Launch siteKennedy, LC‑39A
End of mission
Recovered by
Landing date19 January 2020, 15:38:54 (19 January 2020, 15:38:54) UTC (10:38:54 am EST)
Landing siteAtlantic Ocean

Mission patch

The Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test (also known as Crew Dragon Launch Escape Demonstration[5]) 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.[6] 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.

  1. ^ Clark, Stephen (14 January 2020). "Video: Preview of dramatic Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  2. ^ "SpaceX surprises after recovering spacecraft 'trunk' in one piece". Teslarati. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  3. ^ "The trunk is on board GO Navigator". Twitter. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Dragon trunk from in-flight abort test is in surprisingly good shape!". Twitter. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Crew Dragon Launch Escape Demonstration – Press Kit" (PDF). SpaceX.
  6. ^ Northon, Karen (19 January 2020). "NASA, SpaceX Complete Final Major Flight Test of Crew Spacecraft". NASA. Retrieved 12 November 2022.