SpaceX said the test on January 18 was designed to prove that the Dragon II spacecraft could send astronauts to a safe place in the event of an emergency during the rocket’s ascent.

Editor’s note: This article comes from Tencent Technology .

SpaceX will conduct the last major test before the first flight of the manned spacecraft on the 18th of this month.

SpaceX and Boeing, founded by Musk, have to complete a landmark task. That is, for the first time, a private space company will undertake a manned space mission and undertake “traffic work” between astronauts and the International Space Station. Completed multiple tests. According to the latest news from foreign media, on the 18th of this month, SpaceX will conduct the last technical test of the manned spacecraft: the suspension of the launch mission and the emergency escape of astronauts. If all goes well, the first manning will be achieved early this year.

According to foreign media reports, SpaceX owns Dragon spacecraft products. The cargo space version of the Dragon spaceship is called “Dragon One Spaceship” and the manned version is called “Dragon 2 Spaceship”. Earlier, NASA has awarded SpaceX a contract worth more than $ 2 billion to complete a certain number of astronaut transfer missions in the future.

SpaceX plans to test the launch escape system of the capsule by flight simulation on January 18. If problems occur during the rocket’s ascent phase, a test run test will check if the spacecraft can bring the crew to a safe place.

SpaceX recently tested the parachute system used by the Dragon II spacecraft to ensure that the spacecraft can land smoothly on the earth’s surface when only the last parachute is intact. According to NASA requirements, SpaceX must pass more than a dozen successful tests in order to qualify.

Of course, the test date on January 18 may also be adjusted if weather changes or last-minute failures occur.

Previously, SpaceX completed the static ignition test of the Falcon 9 rocket (Falcon 9 is the carrier rocket of the Dragon II spacecraft) on January 11th, clearing the way for the upcoming spacecraft emergency escape simulation test.

If everything goes according to plan, this will be the last major test of the Dragon II spacecraft before being approved by NASA to carry astronauts.

Currently, SpaceX still hopesThe relevant manned mission (named Demo 2) will be carried out in early 2020. You may not have to wait long to see the company fully participate in US manned space flights. At that time, NASA will use astronauts to send astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time after the termination of the space shuttle program.

For many years, NASA has paid to use the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to allow astronauts to travel to and from the International Space Station.

On the official Twitter account, SpaceX stated that the test on January 18 was aimed at proving that in the event of an emergency during the rocket’s ascent, the Dragon II spacecraft could send astronauts to a safe place.

NASA plans to have Boeing and SpaceX jointly undertake manned space missions. Neither company has been able to complete R & D and testing tasks in accordance with a timetable set in the past, but SpaceX performed significantly better than Boeing.

Not long ago, Boeing conducted the first test of a manned spacecraft (on a dummy), but the first test failed. Due to a problem with the spacecraft’s timing system, subsequent engines were pre-ignited, resulting in the spacecraft not having enough fuel to fly to the International Space Station and failing to complete the docking mission. The failure was a blow to Boeing.

A previous NASA audit official reported that Boeing and SpaceX both undertake manned space missions, but Boeing ’s single-seat shipping price is much higher than SpaceX ’s, the contract amount is also higher than SpaceX, and some unfair The operation resulted in additional costs for Boeing. SpaceX chief Musk also made a mockery of the report.

If nothing else, SpaceX will be ahead of Boeing, taking on NASA’s personnel transport mission to the International Space Station for the first time.

In preparation for the emergency escape system test, SpaceX confirmed on Twitter that the company conducted a Falcon Nine on Saturday (January 11) at NASA’s historic launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Rocket Thermal Launch (Static Ignition) Test.

In the test, nine gray-backed Falcon engines in the first stage of the Falcon 9 fired at 10:10 a.m. EST on Saturday (15:10 GMT), when the smoke billowed around the rocket. The clamping fixture held the rocket firmly on the ground at launch pad 39A-the same launch site used to be the takeoff of the powerful Saturn V and NASA space shuttle.

This short test, known as the Static Fire Ignition Test, is a standard part of the pre-launch procedure and one of the last important milestones before the launch of a rocket. During the test, the team loaded the Falcon’s ultra-cold propellants-kerosene and liquid oxygen-into the rocket before igniting the first nine gray-backed 1D engines in the first stage.

If the emergency escape test is successful,The California-based company can begin preparing for its first manned flight, called Demo-2, which will carry NASA astronauts Bob Benken and Doug Hurley to and from the International Space Station. (Tencent Technology Review / Cheng Xi)