SpaceX Crew Dragon May Be Ready For Human Flights To ISS In Early 2020

NASA developed the Commercial Crew Program and has been looking to private companies to take astronauts into space. It did the same thing with plans to get supplies to and from the ISS, and SpaceX has been a major part of that program. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and NASA head Jim Bridenstine has said that the Crew Dragon capsule is now nearly ready for duty.

Bridenstine says that the first quarter of 2020, which is January through March, is a realistic goal for the SpaceX Demo-2 mission. This could be the flight that takes NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the ISS. NASA has stated that operational, contracted ISS missions would then follow.

Bridenstine was clear that the timeline for crewed missions would only hold if things went according to plans with the Crew Dragon capsule development. SpaceX launched its first uncrewed Crew Dragon capsule in March, but in April, further tests on that vehicle failed, and the capsule was destroyed in an explosion. As a result of that failed test of the Crew Dragon abort propulsion system, necessary hardware has since been redesigned. The testing of the new design will begin in the coming weeks.

SpaceX is also working on the capsule parachute system and is set to start testing a new Mark 3 parachute design. The new design is said to have stronger lines and a better load-distribution stitching pattern. The Mark 3 system needs to be tested and certified. SpaceX competitor, Boeing, is set to have its crew capsule, called the Starliner, head to the ISS for its first uncrewed mission in mid-December.