SpaceX is running another space travel test on Wednesday, this time to make sure its abort procedures are working properly.
For the first time, the Elon Musk-led company will test an eject button for astronauts who will travel in SpaceX’s Dragon 2 capsule.
In order to get astronauts away from the rocket in case of an emergency, SpaceX built technology to eject the entire spacecraft from the Dragon launch vehicle thanks to eight rocket engines built into the walls of the spacecraft.
The company explained why its abort process is unique:
Previous launch abort systems have been powered by a rocket tower mounted on top of the spacecraft. During an emergency, the tower would ignite and essentially pull the spacecraft to safety. This works well while the spacecraft is on the launch pad and for a few minutes into ascent, but once the vehicle reaches a certain altitude, the system is no longer useful and must be discarded.
SpaceX’s launch abort system, however, is integrated directly into the spacecraft. This means Crew Dragon will have launch escape capability from the launch pad all the way to orbit.
There will be a dummy on board to collect data on the forces experienced inside the spacecraft. SpaceX noted that “the odds of encountering delays or issues are high.”
“Fortunately the test doesn’t need to be perfect to be valuable — our primary objective is to capture as much data as possible as the data captured here will be key in preparing Crew Dragon for its first human missions in 2017,” the company added.
The original Dragon was the first commercial spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station. The Dragon 2, meanwhile, is built to carry astronauts into space.
The unmanned launch is scheduled on Wednesday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and will take place any time between 4 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. PST. You can watch the launch on the SpaceX livestream, NASA TV, and NASA’s UStream channel.
Last month, SpaceX was almost successful in landing its Falcon 9 rocket on its “autonomous drone ship” in the Atlantic after blasting its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station.
Update, May 6: SpaceX completed its test Wednesday morning:
This morning, a Crew Dragon test article completed a Pad Abort Test, the 1st critical test in prep for human missions pic.twitter.com/ysMdHMaVPb
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 6, 2015
Here’s video of the entire test:
