Thursday, May 2, 2019
SpaceX Confirms Crew Dragon Destroyed In Testing Mishap
Hawthorne-based SpaceX confirmed on Thursday that its Crew Dragon capsule, designed to carry astronauts into space, was destroyed in the accident last month during testing. Videos of the destruction of the capsule were leaked, apparently by either a NASA employee or a NASA contractor last week. SpaceX said the accident occurred during an activation of the capsule's escape system thrusters, which are designed to bring the Crew Dragon back to earth in the case of an accident. NASA and SpaceX haven't provided details on what that failure were, only saying it saw an "anomaly" during the testing of the Crew Dragon. The Crew Dragon in question already had visited the International Space Station, albeit, with only a test dummy and cargo.
Image: The SpaceX Crew Dragon at the International Space Station, before it was destroyed in an accident last month.