TORONTO – SpaceX reached another milestone on Wednesday after the successful test launch of its crewed Dragon pad abort system.
SpaceX, along with Boeing, is developing the next crew system that will take astronauts to the International Space Station.
Wednesday’s launch marked the first real test of the launch abort system designed to get an astronaut crew to safety should there be a problem during a launch.
READ MORE: SpaceX’s next generation of crew vehicle ready for first real test
The SpaceX system is unique: rather than only being able to get a crew to safety while on the pad — like that of the Apollo missions — this abort system would be able to function all the way into orbit.
After the brief test, the capsule splashed down in the Atlantic about 2,200 metres off the coast of Cape Canaveral.
Engineers will now sift through the data to evaluate the results.
SpaceX says that the next test, which will put the capsule through an in-flight abort test — will occur within the coming months.
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