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Falcon 9 Block 5 | Dragon In-Flight Abort Test

January 19, 2020 at 3:30 PM UTC

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Dragon In-Flight Abort Test launch image
Mission imagery · Falcon 9 Block 5

Launch details

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January 19, 2020 at 3:30 PM UTC

Status: Launch Successful · Live feed refreshes every 30 seconds

Launch Complex 39A

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA · 28.6082, -80.6043

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Launch site
Launch Complex 39A

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch probability
Not published
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January 19, 2020 at 1:00 PM UTC
Window closes
January 19, 2020 at 7:00 PM UTC
Feed updated
June 14, 2023 at 9:46 AM UTC

Mission description

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.

Mission media

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Crew Dragon Launch Escape Demonstration

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Vehicle

Falcon 9 Block 5

Falcon · Block 5

Height

70 m

Diameter

3.65 m

LEO capacity

22,800 kg

Successful launches

623

Launch complex

Launch Complex 39A

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

The John F. Kennedy Space Center, located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of NASA's ten field centers. Since 1968, KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of American spaceflight, research, and technology. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).

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