CAPE CANAVERAL - Elon Musk's SpaceX simulated a successful emergency landing on Sunday in a dramatic test of a crucial abort system on an unmanned astronaut capsule, a big step its mission to fly NASA astronauts for the first time as soon as this spring.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration administrator Jim Bridenstine also described the test as a success. The first mission with humans aboard, which will be the final test mission before NASA's commercial crew programme becomes operational, is scheduled for the second quarter of this year, after the spacecraft is completed no later than March, Musk said.
Each stage of the test prompted loud cheers from SpaceX crew members watching the footage from back on land. The test is crucial to qualify the capsule to fly humans to the International Space Station, something NASA expects to come as soon as mid-2020. The space agency has since relied on Russian spacecraft for rides to the space station. During the test Crew Dragon used its so-called SuperDraco thrusters to jet itself away from the rocket at supersonic speeds of up to 2,400kmh.
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