We ’re only a few weeks into 2016 , but we can already see that SpaceX is perish to be dominating the headlines in blank exploration this class . Fresh off the back of their oh - so - closebarge landing , the party has released footage of its coming manned spacecraft “ bulk large ” in mid - airwave .
The Dragon 2 , or Crew Dragon as it ’s also known , will be used by SpaceX to take astronauts into space . Manned flight are scheduled to start in 2017 , but before that begin , the company is going through a stringent examination procedure .
Dragon 2 differ somewhat from other capsule - shaped ballistic capsule . All others , such as the historic Apollo capsule or advanced Soyuz spacecraft , land using parachutes . SpaceX ’s vehicle , though , has eight SuperDraco thrusters on the side that allow for it to perform a powered landing . The finish is to have the capsule takings to the solid ground from space with “ the truth of a eggbeater , ” NASA said in ablog post , without a need for parachutes or an ocean landing .
In thevideoof the trial below , released on January 21 by the companionship but perform on November 24 last year , the thruster elicit for several second , supporting the entire system of weights of the unmanned test capsule , which had previously been hanging from a cable . Although little , the test proves this important capability of the ballistic capsule works . Much more safety testing will be demand before it ’s ready to pilot , though .
These same thrusters can be used to get the capsule to refuge during a botched launch , known as a launching abort system . This capableness wastested in 2015 . Now , in the latest test at the caller ’s testing facility in MacGregor , Texas , SpaceX has shown how the thrusters allow the capsule to remain stable , and mildly lower itself , in mid - air .
As remark by NASA , though , propulsive landing will not be used for initial mission with NASA cosmonaut to the International Space Station . or else , the early versions of Dragon 2 will “ slosh down safely in the ocean under parachutes as its passengers generate from the space station , ” the agency suppose .
And you may you expect enough more news program from SpaceX this year . Alongside continued launches of its Falcon 9 rocket , the company will be set about more first stage landing . It is also expected to launch the larger Falcon Heavy rocket this yr , and it may also reveal its architectural plan to get humans to Mars .
