updates
Demo-2 targeted for May 27
On April 17, 2020, SpaceX and NASA targeted May 27 for Demo-2, with Behnken and Hurley, and listed escape, parachute, and docking tests already done.
Topics: space-civilization
This page is an original Muskularity summary. It does not republish SpaceX’s full post. Figures are the company’s statements on the cited date unless another primary link is named.
Summary
SpaceX said it and NASA were targeting May 27 for Demo-2 from Kennedy LC-39A. Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley would be the first NASA astronauts to fly on Dragon, the flight meant to return U.S. crew launches since the shuttle’s 2011 retirement. The rocket and spacecraft were already in Florida. NASA revived the worm logo for the mission.
Tests SpaceX said were complete: the March 2019 uncrewed flight, the first American spacecraft to dock to the station on its own and return; the January 2020 in-flight abort; more than 700 SuperDraco tests, with the eight engines together able to carry Dragon half a mile from Falcon 9 in 7.5 seconds and past 400 mph; and 27 tests of the Mark 3 parachutes, including 13 single-canopy drops, 12 multi-canopy tests, and the abort-test demonstration. Joint simulations and a pad rescue exercise were also described as done. The launch that flew was May 30, not May 27. This page keeps the April target.
Key facts
| Fact | Label |
|---|---|
| April 17 target: May 27, 2020, LC-39A, Behnken and Hurley | Company and NASA target as stated; flown May 30 |
| More than 700 SuperDraco tests; eight engines, 0.5 miles in 7.5 seconds, over 400 mph | Company test description |
| 27 Mark 3 parachute tests cited | Company test tally |
| Uncrewed docking flight in March 2019 and in-flight abort in January 2020 | Company milestone list |
Why it matters
This is the pre-flight safety case for the mission that launched on May 30. The May 27 date is what was published on April 17.
On this site
Sources
- SpaceX update, April 17, 2020 — Grade A, company post
- NASA commercial crew blog linked from the post — Grade A, NASA
- NASA biography, Bob Behnken — Grade A, NASA
- NASA biography, Doug Hurley — Grade A, NASA
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