Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test


Dragon 2 In-Flight Abort Test was a test of the Crew Dragon abort system. The test was conducted on 19 January 2020. It involved the launch of a Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 39A on a suborbital trajectory, followed by an inflight abort of Crew Dragon at max Q. While the capsule successfully escaped, booster B1046 was destroyed as intended.

Background

The test was envisioned as a separation and abort scenario in the troposphere at transonic velocities during max Q, where the vehicle experiences maximum aerodynamic pressure. SpaceX Dragon 2 would use its SuperDraco abort engines to push itself away from the Falcon 9 after an intentional premature engine cutoff. The vehicle would reorient, deploy parachutes and soft-land in the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier, this test had been scheduled before the uncrewed orbital test, however, SpaceX and NASA considered it safer to use a flight representative capsule rather than the test article from the pad abort test. The flight would have launched from Vandenberg SLC-4E onboard a modified three engine Falcon 9, which was possibly F9R Dev2.
After the change of plan, the test would have used the C201 capsule from Demo-1, however, C201 was destroyed in an explosion during a static fire testing on 20 April 2019. Capsule C205, originally planned for Demo-2 was used for the In-Flight Abort Test with Crew Dragon Endeavour being used for Demo-2.

Launch

Prior to the actual abort test, NASA and SpaceX conducted an all-in simulation of events leading up to an actual crew launch, including crew suit-up and travel to the pad. After delaying for visibility, Falcon 9 lifted off at 15:30 UTC. Falcon 9 flew nominally until separation, at which point the Crew Dragon separated and the booster was destroyed. Crew Dragon followed its suborbital trajectory to apogee, at which point the spacecraft's trunk was jettisoned. Draco thrusters were then used to orient the vehicle for the descent. All major functions were successfully executed, including separation, engine firings, parachute deployment, and landing. Dragon 2 splashed down at 15:38:54 UTC just off the Florida coast in the Atlantic Ocean.