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dragon

SpaceX is still finalizing its report on September's launchpad explosion, and has already lost 1 large contract due to the delay in its launch schedule. Now, the private space firm founded past Elon Musk says information technology has decided to button back the first crewed launch of its Dragon v2 sheathing into 2018. It was previously scheduled for a 2017 launch as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Plan, but an unmanned version of the sheathing volition still caput to space side by side year.

The incident still being investigated occurred on September 1st while a Falcon ix rocket was existence fueled in preparation for a satellite launch. One of the vessel's composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) breached every bit liquid helium was being loaded in. The helium is used to maintain pressure inside the tanks every bit fuel is expended during ascent. The current thinking (which SpaceX has yet to 100% confirm) is that variations in temperature and pressure level caused the alienation, leading to a fireball that engulfed the rocket. Its payload — a Facebook satellite — was completely lost in the explosion.

The filibuster may be due to SpaceX's plans to have crew already aboard the Dragon capsule when the launch vehicle is fueled. As we saw in September, that's not a perfect process. SpaceX has said it is examining this practice equally part of its investigation of the launch failure. A NASA console is evaluating SpaceX'south procedures, just the agency has non released any official recommendations at this time.

Fifty-fifty in the event of a catastrophic failure like the one it experienced in September, the crew aboard a Dragon capsule could very well escape unharmed. SpaceX has been testing a launch abort system that can boom the Dragon clear of the rocket if an anomaly is detected.

The new timetable has the get-go crewed launch of a Falcon 9-Dragon philharmonic taking place in May of 2018. That'south most six months later on than previously planned. The unmanned flight of the crew-capable Dragon volition still take place in late 2017, which will exam the parachutes, spacesuits, and coiffure access arm. The revised timeline puts SpaceX just slightly ahead of Boeing, which is slated to launch an unmanned examination of the CST-100 capsule in June of 2018. The first manned mission is on the books for Baronial of 2018.

The US has been without a manned launch vehicle since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011. To transport astronauts to the ISS, NASA has been paying for seats aboard Russian Soyuz capsules to the tune of $82 million each. Both SpaceX and Boeing will accuse much less.