SpaceX delays launch of crewed Dragon capsule to 2018

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SpaceX is still finalizing its report on September’s launchpad explosion, and has already lost one large contract due to the delay in its launch schedule. Now, the private space firm founded by Elon Musk says it has decided to push back the first crewed launch of its Dragon v2 capsule into 2018. It was previously scheduled for a 2017 launch as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, but an unmanned version of the capsule will still head to space next year.

The incident still being investigated occurred on September 1st while a Falcon 9 rocket was being fueled in preparation for a satellite launch. One of the vessel’s composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) breached as liquid helium was being loaded in. The helium is used to maintain pressure inside the tanks as fuel is expended during ascent. The current thinking (which SpaceX has yet to 100% confirm) is that variations in temperature and pressure caused the breach, leading to a fireball that engulfed the rocket. Its payload — a Facebook satellite — was completely lost in the explosion.

The delay may be due to SpaceX’s plans to have crew already aboard the Dragon capsule when the launch vehicle is fueled. As we saw in September, that’s not a perfect process. SpaceX has said it is examining this practice as part of its investigation of the launch failure. A NASA panel is evaluating SpaceX’s procedures, but the agency has not released any official recommendations at this time.

Even in the event of a catastrophic failure like the one it experienced in September, the crew aboard a Dragon capsule could very well escape unharmed. SpaceX has been testing a launch abort system that can blast the Dragon clear of the rocket if an anomaly is detected.

The new timetable has the first crewed launch of a Falcon 9-Dragon combo taking place in May of 2018. That’s about six months later than previously planned. The unmanned flight of the crew-capable Dragon will still take place in late 2017, which will test the parachutes, spacesuits, and crew access arm. The revised timeline puts SpaceX only slightly ahead of Boeing, which is slated to launch an unmanned test of the CST-100 capsule in June of 2018. The first manned mission is on the books for August of 2018.

The US has been without a manned launch vehicle since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011. To transport astronauts to the ISS, NASA has been paying for seats aboard Russian Soyuz capsules to the tune of $82 million each. Both SpaceX and Boeing will charge much less.

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