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SpaceX Crew Dragon Readies for Static Fire Test Ahead of Maiden Voyage

On February 16, SpaceX is set to finally launch the Crew Dragon on its maiden voyage, opening the way for resumed crewed flights to space from American soil for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011.
SpaceX Crew Dragon 1 photo
Photo: SpaceX
The launch date is of course subject to change, but this will not stop SpaceX from going ahead with preparations. The private space company has a static fire test scheduled for Wednesday, January 23, on launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The test is a rehearsal for the actual launch, without the Falcon 9 rocket that carries the Crew Dragon actually taking off. The Crew Dragon will be rolled out to the launch platform, raised upright and fueled. The launch countdown follows, and a brief ignition of the rocket engines occurs.

If the test goes well, SpaceX enters the final stretch toward a historic moment. The February launch is a test for a spaceship that has a lot riding on it, from trips to the International Space Station (ISS) to the eventual journey to Mars.

Among other things, the maiden flight will test the capsule’s capability to automatically dock with the ISS. The capsule will remain in orbit for a couple of days, then head back to Earth, where it will attempt a parachute-assisted landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

This first crewed test flight for the capsule is scheduled for June, with two NASA veterans on board: Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, both members of several Endeavour and Atlantis missions.

When fully operational, the Crew Dragon will be capable of carrying up to seven astronauts who will be seated in carbon fiber seats wrapped in Alcantara cloth. When perched on top the Big Falcon Rocket, it could head for the Moon or even Mars.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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