SPACEX TEST FIRES ADVANCED NEW ENGINE
New Video Shows SuperDraco Engine in Action
Hawthorne, CA – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has successfully test fired SuperDraco, a powerful new engine that will play a critical role in the company's efforts to change the future of human spaceflight.
WATCH THE VIDEO: http://youtu.be/PUUnYgo1-lI
The SuperDraco is an advanced version of the Draco engines currently used by SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft to maneuver on orbit and during reentry. As part of SpaceX's state-of-the-art launch escape system, eight SuperDraco engines built into the side walls of the Dragon spacecraft will produce up to 120,000 pounds of axial thrust to carry astronauts to safety should an emergency occur during launch.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program awarded SpaceX $75 million in April of last year to begin work developing the escape system in order to prepare the Dragon spacecraft to carry astronauts. Less than nine months later, SpaceX engineers have designed, built and tested the engine.
In a series of recent tests conducted at the company's Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas, the SuperDraco sustained full duration, full thrust firing as well as a series of deep throttling demonstrations.
SpaceX's launch escape system has many advantages over past systems. It is inherently safer because it is not jettisoned like all other
escape systems. This distinction provides astronauts with the unprecedented ability to escape from danger at any point during the launch,
not just in the first few minutes. The eight SuperDracos provide redundancy, so that even if one engine fails an escape can still be carried
out successfully.
SuperDracos can also be restarted multiple times if necessary and the engines will have the ability to deep throttle, providing astronauts with precise control and enormous power. In addition, as a part of a recoverable Dragon spacecraft, the engines can be used repeatedly, helping to advance SpaceX's long-term goal of making spacecraft more like airplanes, which can be flown again and again with minimal maintenance between flights.
SuperDraco engines will provide the Dragon spacecraft with the capability to perform on target propulsive landings
anywhere in the solar system. Credit: SpaceX
SuperDraco engines will power a revolutionary launch escape system that will make SpaceX's Dragon the safest spacecraft
in the world. Eight SuperDraco engines built into the side walls of the Dragon spacecraft will produce up to 120,000 pounds
of axial thrust to carry astronauts to safety should an emergency occur during launch. Credit: Spacex
|
| Manage Your Subscription | Forward To a Friend |
No comments:
Post a Comment