Next-generation spaceship unveiled (video)
The Dragon 2 can land anywhere and is reusable. Image: SpaceX.
The company already has a spacecraft that supplies the International Space Station. But its new ship, the Dragon V2, is significantly different. Beyond the fact that it should be able to land safely without parachutes, the spacecraft can be quickly reused, said Elon Musk, CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), during the unveiling in California May 29.
“You can just reload propellants and fly again. This is extremely important for revolutionizing access to space," he explained. "As long as we continue to throw away rockets and spacecraft, we will never have true access to space. It will always be incredibly expensive.”
SpaceX is one of NASA's commercial partners working to develop spacecraft and rockets that could transport humans from American soil into Earth's orbit, and specifically to the International Space Station, by 2017.
The commercial projects are stepping stones in NASA's strategy to send humans on a path to explore deeper into space than ever before, including visits to Mars in the 2030s, according to the space agency.
In a video that can be viewed on the company’s website, Musk describes how the spaceship will not be dependent on parachutes when it enters the atmosphere. “When it reaches a particular altitude a few miles before landing, it will test the engines," he says.
If the engines are working, it will proceed with a propulsive landing, Musk explains. “If there’s any anomaly detected with the engines or the propulsion system, it will then deploy the parachutes to ensure a safe landing.”
In recent years, NASA has been dependent on Russia for transport to the space station – a touchy situation, particularly in light of events in the Ukraine. In a blog post earlier this year, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden wrote about the liftoff of an American astronaut, “not from the Space Coast of Florida or some other American spaceport, but from Kazakhstan on a Russian spacecraft.”
Bolden lamented the country's dependence on Russia to get astronauts to the space station.
The Dragon V2 spacecraft is scheduled to fly for the first time in a test later this year.
SpaceX is not the only company in the space business. According to a NASA press release, The Boeing Co. and Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems (SNC) also completed reviews detailing how each plans to meet NASA's certification requirements to transport space station crew members to and from the orbiting laboratory. NASA awarded the contracts totaling $30 million in December 2012.
“You can just reload propellants and fly again. This is extremely important for revolutionizing access to space," he explained. "As long as we continue to throw away rockets and spacecraft, we will never have true access to space. It will always be incredibly expensive.”
SpaceX is one of NASA's commercial partners working to develop spacecraft and rockets that could transport humans from American soil into Earth's orbit, and specifically to the International Space Station, by 2017.
The commercial projects are stepping stones in NASA's strategy to send humans on a path to explore deeper into space than ever before, including visits to Mars in the 2030s, according to the space agency.
In a video that can be viewed on the company’s website, Musk describes how the spaceship will not be dependent on parachutes when it enters the atmosphere. “When it reaches a particular altitude a few miles before landing, it will test the engines," he says.
If the engines are working, it will proceed with a propulsive landing, Musk explains. “If there’s any anomaly detected with the engines or the propulsion system, it will then deploy the parachutes to ensure a safe landing.”
In recent years, NASA has been dependent on Russia for transport to the space station – a touchy situation, particularly in light of events in the Ukraine. In a blog post earlier this year, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden wrote about the liftoff of an American astronaut, “not from the Space Coast of Florida or some other American spaceport, but from Kazakhstan on a Russian spacecraft.”
Bolden lamented the country's dependence on Russia to get astronauts to the space station.
The Dragon V2 spacecraft is scheduled to fly for the first time in a test later this year.
SpaceX is not the only company in the space business. According to a NASA press release, The Boeing Co. and Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems (SNC) also completed reviews detailing how each plans to meet NASA's certification requirements to transport space station crew members to and from the orbiting laboratory. NASA awarded the contracts totaling $30 million in December 2012.
This animation, produced by SpaceX, shows how the Dragon 2 works:
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