Elon Musk teases when first human spaceflight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon will take place

Elon Musk said SpaceX could carry out the piloted launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft sometime this year

Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, recently confirmed that the company is preparing for the crewed launch of its Crew Dragon spacecraft. The tech mogul made the statement after SpaceX completed the abort test of its spacecraft on Sunday.

On Jan. 19, SpaceX launched the Crew Dragon capsule through its Falcon 9 rocket. Shortly after taking off, the capsule separated from the rocket, which was then deliberately destroyed. The Crew Dragon then landed safely in the ocean with the help of parachutes.

The SpaceX space craft Crew Dragon is shown being built inside a cleanroom at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, U.S. August 13, 2018.
The SpaceX space craft Crew Dragon is shown being built inside a cleanroom at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, U.S. August 13, 2018. Reuters

Success of Crew Dragon's Abort Test

The test flight, dubbed as an abort test, was a critical component of SpaceX's assessment regarding the capabilities of Crew Dragon. It was carried out to test and demonstrate how the spacecraft would break away from its launcher in the event of an emergency. "We are purposefully failing a launch vehicle, to make sure our abort system works," Kathy Lueders, the manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program said in a statement prior to the launch. "That's a very, very different way for us to formally conduct a mission."

With the success of the abort test, SpaceX is now preparing for the first crewed spaceflight for Crew Dragon. The company had previously announced that NASA veteran astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behknen have been selected to pilot the spacecraft.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen after being raised into a vertical position on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Demo-1 mission, Feb. 28, 2019, at NASA’s Kennedy Space
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen after being raised into a vertical position on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Demo-1 mission, Feb. 28, 2019, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA/Joel Kowsky

Crew Dragon's Demo 2 Mission

According to Musk, Crew Dragon's human spaceflight, known as the Demo 2 mission, could take place during the second quarter of 2020. This means the mission might happen after March. Of course, further tests will still be conducted before Crew Dragon's piloted launch.

"We're highly confident that the hardware will be ready in [the first quarter], most likely end of February but no later than March," he said according to Space.com. "And we think it appears probable that the first crewed launch would occur in the second quarter."

If all goes well for SpaceX, the company could soon fulfill its promise to NASA as one of the agency's commercial partners. For years, both NASA and SpaceX have been hoping that the Crew Dragon will serve as the main spacecraft that will transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Related topics : Spacex Elon musk Nasa
READ MORE