SpaceX's Crew Dragon Capsule Splashes Down In Atlantic After Successful Emergency Test

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2020) The capsule of the latest SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft has successfully splashed down on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean after an in-flight abort test to prove astronauts could safely escape in the spacecraft in case of a launch emergency, the NASA broadcast showed.

"SPLASHDOWN! At 10:39am ET [15:39 GMT], #CrewDragon splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean," NASA wrote on Twitter.

The Falcon 9 carrier rocket was used in the test. It was launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 15:30 GMT.

The test lasted several minutes. Soon after the stratum, the ship undocked from the rocket and departed from it by its own thrust, after which it landed in the Atlantic Ocean 32 kilometers (19 miles) off the coast of Florida.

SpaceX's test of the Crew Dragon emergency abort system is one of the final steps remaining before the company will be accredited to fly NASA astronauts from US soil to the International Space Station (ISS). Currently, NASA purchases seats to fly astronauts to the ISS from Russia, using Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft.

The first test flight of the Crew Dragon craft took place in March, and the unmanned vessel docked with the ISS. The in-flight abort test was initially meant to take place in mid-2019, but was delayed after an explosion during a ground test in April.