Press Event

SpaceX Dragon In-Flight Abort Test Press Conference

Kennedy Space Center Falcon 9 Block 5 | Dragon In-Flight Abort Test

The news conference preceding SpaceX's Dragon In-Flight Abort Test (IFA) will be livestreamed on NASA TV.

Related Information


Falcon 9 Block 5 | Dragon In-Flight Abort Test

SpaceX | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Jan. 19, 2020, 3:30 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

When the Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket reaches Max-Q (maximum dynamic forces), the launch abort system of the Crew Dragon spacecraft will be triggered. This will fire up its SuperDraco engines and propel the spacecraft and its theoretical passengers away from the launch vehicle before landing back safely in the Atlantic Ocean. The goal of this test is to demonstrate the capacity of the spacecraft to ensure a safe return to the ground for the astronauts in the event of a launch vehicle failure. The booster for this launch will be B1046, a thrice-flown core which was the first of the Block 5 generation. It will not attempt to land and is expected to be destroyed by the SuperDracos and aerodynamic loads.

Suborbital B1046 - Flight Proven ( ) Atlantic Ocean
Explore Share

Electron
Success
12 hours, 54 minutes ago
Viva La StriX (StriX Launch 9)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 12 hours ago
Starlink Group 10-31
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 19 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-42
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Vega-C
Success
3 days, 18 hours ago
Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV) - Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to investigate the interaction between Earth’s protective shield …


Long March 8
Success
5 days, 7 hours ago
SpaceSail Polar Group #9
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

18 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites with Ku, Q and V band payloads for the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies with…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Dragon CRS-2 SpX-34
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

34th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commer…


Kinetica 1
Success
1 week ago
5 satellites
Launch Area 130 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Share-ride of 5 satellites to sun-synchronous orbit: * Taijing-3-05A/B * Tianyi-50 * Tianyan-27 * Jilin-1 HR-03D-55


Zhuque-2E Block 2
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Mass Simulator
Launch Area 96A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

2.8 tonnes Mass Simulator launched to a 900 km polar orbit on a test flight proving further upgrades to the ZQ-2E, including a longer 1st stage and e…


Long March 6A
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
SpaceSail Polar Group #8
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

18 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites with Ku, Q and V band payloads for the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies with…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
NROL-172
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Thirteenth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Offi…