<h2>Crew Dragon Explosion</h2>
SpaceX&#8217;s Vice President of Mission Assurance Hans Koenigsmann <a href="https://twitter.com/gpallone13/status/1123970679039197187">confirmed today</a> during a press event that the Crew Dragon capsule that flew to the International Space Station <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-dock-iss">all by itself</a> in March — albeit with no astronauts on board — was destroyed during a test failure on April 20.
But Koenigsmann <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-capsule-exploded">still refrained</a> from using the word &#8220;explosion.&#8221;
<h2>Explosive Silence</h2>
The Atlantic <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/04/spacex-anomaly-dragon-nasa/588277/">pointed out</a> earlier this week that SpaceX had failed to acknowledge what appeared to be a massive explosion at SpaceX&#8217;s Cape Canaveral testing grounds. Only twelve days later did SpaceX publicly admit the Crew Dragon capsule was a <a href="https://phys.org/news/2019-05-spacex-capsule-anomaly-lawmaker.html">&#8220;total loss,&#8221;</a> as Senator Richard Shelby, NASA&#8217;s budget manager, put it at today&#8217;s press event.
Until today, SpaceX had called the incident <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-capsule-exploded">an &#8220;anomaly&#8221;</a> in a prepared statement released two days later — a downplayed description of an incident that caused what The Atlantic called &#8220;plumes, thick and glowing orange&#8221; to rise over the horizon.
<h2>Vows of Silence</h2>
Koenigsmann&#8217;s remarks come after a memo <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-ksc-new-photo-policy-20190430-story.html">obtained by the Orlando Sentinel</a> earlier this week <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/memo-confirms-spacex-explosion-video-real">seemed to confirm</a> that a video showing an explosion during the test was authentic.
So what was the cause of the explosion? Jeff Foust, senior writer at SpaceNews, <a href="https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1123967672633446402">tweeted earlier today</a> that Koenigsmann stated the &#8220;vehicle was destroyed&#8221; — but before the vehicle&#8217;s thrusters ignited. That suggests the &#8220;anomaly&#8221; arose not because of the Crew Dragon&#8217;s eight emergency thrusters.
&#8220;We have no reason to believe that there is an issue with the SuperDraco systems themselves,&#8221; Koenigsmann confirmed at today&#8217;s press event.
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SpaceX&#39;s Koenigsmann: Crew Dragon powered up as expected. Smaller Draco thrusters fired OK. Just before to firing SuperDraco, there was anomaly and the vehicle was destroyed.
&mdash; Emre Kelly (@EmreKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmreKelly/status/1123967377295777794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<h2>Bad PR?</h2>
So where does that leave Demo 2? The first crewed test flight of SpaceX&#8217;s Crew Dragon spacecraft that was initially scheduled for July. Koenigsmann said there was &#8220;certainly hope&#8221; that the test flight can still occur this year. According to Foust, SpaceX has<a href="https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1123973052000276480">&#8220;multiple spacecraft&#8221;</a> in development.
The test failure is still officially under investigation, according to Koenigsmann.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Koenigsmann: There are several Crew Dragons already in production, but the good news is they&#39;re not done – depending on investigation, we can make changes to its hardware as we continue to build them.
&mdash; Emre Kelly (@EmreKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmreKelly/status/1123972494535344129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2019</a></blockquote>
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READ MORE: S<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/04/spacex-anomaly-dragon-nasa/588277/">paceX’s Unnerving Silence on an Explosive Incident</a> [The Atlantic]
More on the explosion: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/memo-confirms-spacex-explosion-video-real">Internal Memo Confirms SpaceX Explosion Video Is Real</a>

Can SpaceX still make history later this year?

SpaceX confirms that accident destroyed Crew Dragon capsule

Off World

SpaceX finally confirmed today during a press event that the Crew Dragon capsule that flew to the International Space Station in March was destroyed.

SpaceX Confirms That Accident Destroyed Crew Dragon Capsule

Luckily, SpaceX has several new Crew Dragon capsules already in production.

<h2>Authentic Anomaly</h2>
A memo <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/g00/space/os-bz-ksc-new-photo-policy-20190430-story.html?i10c.ua=1&amp;i10c.encReferrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub3JsYW5kb3NlbnRpbmVsLmNvbS9nMDAvc3BhY2Uvb3MtYnota3NjLW5ldy1waG90by1wb2xpY3ktMjAxOTA0MzAtc3RvcnkuaHRtbD9pMTBjLnVhPTEmaTEwYy5lbmNSZWZlcnJlcj0maTEwYy5kdj00&amp;i10c.dv=4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obtained by the Orlando Sentinel</a> seems to confirm that a <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-anomaly-crew-dragon-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video showing an explosion</a> during a test of SpaceX&#8217;s astronaut capsule is authentic — which, as the newspaper points out, neither the Elon Musk-led space venture nor NASA has publicly admitted so far.
&#8220;As most of you are aware, SpaceX conducted a test fire of their crew capsule abort engines at [Cape Canaveral Air Force Station], and they experienced an anomaly,&#8221; reads the email, which the Sentinel reported was sent to employees of Jacobs, an aerospace company NASA contracts to do testing work. &#8220;Subsequently, video of the failed test — which was not released by SpaceX or NASA — appeared on the internet.&#8221;
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<h2>Crew Capsule</h2>
The video of the apparent blast first appeared on a pseudonymous Twitter account that later deleted the post, though it&#8217;s since been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe4ee56aHSg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mirrored on YouTube</a>.
SpaceX and NASA have remained tight-lipped about the incident, referring to it <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-capsule-exploded" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only as an &#8220;anomaly&#8221;</a> and pledging to investigate.
The email told Jacobs employees that they were &#8220;prohibited from photographing or videotaping operational activities that take place on KSC CCAFS property unless officially authorized,&#8221; according to the Sentinel. &#8220;It is up to NASA and other companies onsite to make the determination about what information related to their activities is released to the public.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-ksc-new-photo-policy-20190430-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After video of SpaceX explosion leaked, NASA workers told they can be fired for sharing images</a> [Orlando Sentinel]
More on the incident: <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-capsule-exploded" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SpaceX Won’t Admit That Its Crew Capsule Exploded</a>

NASA contractors were told they're "prohibited from photographing or videotaping operational activities."

Internal memo confirms SpaceX explosion video is real

Explosive Situation

A memo obtained by the Orlando Sentinel seems to confirm that a video showing an explosion during a test of SpaceX's astronaut capsule is authentic.

Internal Memo Confirms SpaceX Explosion Video Is Real

It sounds like authorities are furious the video was made public.

<h2>Explosive Situation</h2>
Sometimes, when you fill a small metal capsule with rocket fuel, it will explode.
That&#8217;s what appears to have happened this past weekend when SpaceX attempted a static test of its Dragon 2 capsule. &#8220;Crew Dragon capsule explodes,&#8221; <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/spacex-crew-dragon-capsule-explodes-during-engine-test/">wrote Scientific American</a>. Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-spacex-crew-dragon-spacecraft-for-nasa-appears-to-explode-during-test-2019-4">called it</a> a &#8220;large explosion.&#8221; Quartz <a href="https://qz.com/1601656/spacex-exploded-dragon-spacecraft-in-test-mishap/">said that</a> it &#8220;blew up.&#8221; There&#8217;s even a <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-anomaly-crew-dragon-test">grainy video</a> of the test that seems to show a fireball.
But SpaceX? The company called it an &#8220;anomaly.&#8221;
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<h2>Glossy Language</h2>
You&#8217;d never know what happened if you only read <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/bfpv8p/crew_dragon_test_anomaly_and_investigation/">SpaceX&#8217;s prepared statement</a>, which downplayed the apparent explosion as much as possible.
<blockquote>&#8220;Earlier today, SpaceX conducted a series of engine tests on a Crew Dragon test vehicle on our test stand at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The initial tests completed successfully but the final test resulted in an anomaly on the test stand. Ensuring that our systems meet rigorous safety standards and detecting anomalies like this prior to flight are the main reason why we test. Our teams are investigating and working closely with our NASA partners.&#8221;</blockquote>
SpaceX isn&#8217;t the only space agency to use &#8220;anomaly&#8221; to describe a spacecraft glitch. There are several instances where NASA has used the word to characterize <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/160734main_STS-114%20Engine%20Cut-off%20Sensor%20Anomaly%20Technical%20Consultation%20Report.pdf">launch problems</a> or <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/nh/new-horizons-responds-spacecraft-anomaly">spacecraft communication issues</a>. But we haven&#8217;t found an instance where NASA said &#8220;anomaly&#8221; when it meant &#8220;explosion&#8221; — in that regard, SpaceX stands alone. When <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/43865/explosion-leak-at-gulf-of-mexico-oil-well">something blows up</a>, NASA <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/damage-from-apollo-13-explosion">says so</a>.
Perhaps the problem that led to an explosion was an &#8220;anomaly&#8221;; it would be confusing if it was expected. But the explosion itself? Calling it anything but is a disservice.
<h2>Keep It Vague</h2>
Hey, we get it. Spacecraft explosions conjure images of tragedy: death, wasted money, canceled research.
It makes sense for a leader in space technology to avoid that connotation. But if SpaceX insists on calling an explosion — one that was seemingly documented on video — an &#8220;anomaly,&#8221; then who&#8217;s to say when the company will clear the air, on this test or any future endeavor?
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2019/04/20/smoke-seen-miles-spacex-crew-dragon-suffers-anomaly-cape-canaveral/3531086002/">Smoke seen for miles as SpaceX Crew Dragon suffers &#8216;anomaly&#8217; at Cape Canaveral during engine test fire</a> [Florida Today]
More on the explosion: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-anomaly-crew-dragon-test">Update: Vid Appears to Show SpaceX Capsule Exploding During Test</a>

Maybe an "anomaly" caused the explosion, but that doesn't mean the thing didn't explode.

SpaceX won't admit that its crew capsule exploded

Webster's Defines "Explosion" As...

On Saturday, a SpaceX Dragon 2 capsule exploded during a static test. But you would never know that from SpaceX, which insists on calling it an "anomaly."

SpaceX Won’t Admit That Its Crew Capsule Exploded

There was almost certainly an explosion during a SpaceX test this weekend. Why does the company refuse to use that word?

<h2>&#8220;Anomaly&#8221;</h2>
Updated at 12:26pm
A video <a href="https://twitter.com/Astronut099/status/1119825093742530560">posted to Twitter</a> Sunday appears to show SpaceX&#8217;s Crew Dragon capsule exploding in a massive ball of smoke — during a Saturday test when it had <a href="https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-engine-test-anomaly.html">previously been reported</a> that the spacecraft suffered an &#8220;anomaly.&#8221;
SpaceX declined to comment about the video&#8217;s veracity on the record, but provided a statement to Futurism saying that &#8220;the initial tests completed successfully but the final test resulted in an anomaly on the test stand. Our teams are investigating and working closely with our NASA partners.&#8221;
Then the drama continued when the video disappeared from Twitter — though not before someone had uploaded a copy to YouTube.
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<h2>Escape System</h2>
Ars Technica <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/04/spacexs-crew-dragon-spacecraft-has-had-an-anomaly-during-tests-saturday/">reports that</a> there were no injuries. The test was to verify the Crew Dragon&#8217;s ability to push itself away from the main rocket in case of a problem with the booster.
Eric Berger, Ars Technica&#8217;s senior space editor, believes the video is authentic.
He <a href="https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1120006579452022787">tweeted</a> that &#8220;I understand the video is legitimate and it’s consistent with accounts I’ve heard,&#8221;
<h2>Significance</h2>
Futurism reached out to SpaceX to ask about the veracity of the video that appears to show an explosion.
&#8220;This is why we test,&#8221; NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted Saturday. &#8220;We will learn, make the necessary adjustments and safely move forward with our Commercial Crew Program.&#8221;
An upcoming crewed Crew Dragon test — which could now be in jeopardy — could eventually mark the first time astronauts travel to the International Space Station from American soil since the end of NASA&#8217;s Space Shuttle program in 2011.
READ MORE: <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/04/spacexs-crew-dragon-spacecraft-has-had-an-anomaly-during-tests-saturday/">SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft had an anomaly during tests Saturday</a> [Ars Technica] 

More on Crew Dragon: <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-spacecraft-land-atlantic">SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Spacecraft Splashes Down in the Atlantic</a>

"Our teams are investigating and working closely with our NASA partners."

Update: Vid appears to show SpaceX capsule exploding during test

Crew Dragon "Anomaly"

A video that made its rounds on social media on Sunday showing the Crew Dragon exploding in a massive ball of smoke during a test on Saturday.

Update: Vid Appears to Show SpaceX Capsule Exploding During Test

SpaceX won't say whether the video is real.

<h2>Welcome Home</h2>
Mission Demo-1 is officially complete.
After successfully undocking from the International Space Station in the early morning hours and burning through Earth&#8217;s atmosphere, SpaceX&#8217;s passenger spacecraft slowly descended back down to Earth, before safely splashing down into the Atlantic Ocean — and right on schedule at 8:45 am EST.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a>’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrewDragon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrewDragon</a> returned to Earth with a splash in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s eastern shore at 8:45am ET, completing an end-to-end flight test to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a> and back as part of our <a href="https://twitter.com/Commercial_Crew?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Commercial_Crew</a> Program. Learn more: <a href="https://t.co/MFB7dVb60c">https://t.co/MFB7dVb60c</a> <a href="https://t.co/8lFL6X3Tue">pic.twitter.com/8lFL6X3Tue</a>
&mdash; NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1104016648959221760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<h2>The Descent</h2>
Crew Dragon&#8217;s descent was slowed thanks to four large parachutes it deployed once it re-entered Earth&#8217;s atmosphere.
Astronauts loaded roughly 300 pounds (136 kg) of cargo from the ISS into the spacecraft on Thursday to send back down to Earth.
SpaceX <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-launch-demo-1">successfully launched</a> the spacecraft on Saturday. It marks the first time a passenger spacecraft launched from American soil to the ISS — and returned safely back down to Earth — since the end of NASA&#8217;s Space Shuttle program in 2011.
<h2>Mission Accomplished</h2>
SpaceX&#8217;s Crew Dragon docked itself, with no robotic arm required, to an open port of the International Space Station early Sunday morning. It then spent five days docked to the station while astronauts checked out the inside of what could one day become their ride back home.
A lot could&#8217;ve gone wrong. The cargo Dragon variant featured a different parachute system and had a differently shaped hull.
&#8220;I see hypersonic re-entry as probably my greatest concern,&#8221; SpaceX CEO Elon Musk <a href="https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-earth-return-challenging.html">said</a> during a post-launch press event on Saturday.
In July, SpaceX is hoping to send the Crew Dragon capsule back into space — but this time <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-03/spacex-notches-next-step-in-race-with-boeing-to-crewed-flights">with NASA astronauts</a> Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on board.
READ MORE:
More on Crew Dragon: <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-roscosmos-space-program-null-void">Expert: SpaceX Just Made Russia’s Space Program “Null and Void”</a>

Previous cargo missions of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific — not the Atlantic.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft splashes down in the Atlantic

Crew Dragon Landing

After successfully undocking from the ISS, SpaceX's Crew Dragon splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean at 8:45 am EST.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Spacecraft Splashes Down in the Atlantic

Mission complete.

<h2>Commercial Crew Program</h2>
SpaceX isn&#8217;t the only company attempting to revolutionize the way we send astronauts to space.
Boeing, the <a href="https://www.boeing.com/company/">largest aerospace company</a> in the world, is looking to send up its own take on a passenger spacecraft, which it calls the CST-100 Starliner, to the International Space Station. Boeing is planning to launch the capsule — uncrewed for now, as a test flight — on an Atlas 5 rocket <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2019/02/06/nasa-partners-update-commercial-crew-launch-dates/">as early as April</a>, according to NASA.
<h2>Starliner</h2>
Boeing&#8217;s commercial spacecraft shares similarities with SpaceX&#8217;s Crew Dragon: it can seat a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ccp-press-kit/boeing.html">crew of seven</a>, be operated from a central control panel, dock autonomously with the ISS, and can also be reused multiple times.
Boeing&#8217;s Starliner is the result of a <a href="https://spacenews.com/41891nasa-selects-boeing-and-spacex-for-commercial-crew-contracts/">$4.2 billion contract</a> signed with NASA in 2014 under the Commercial Crew Program. SpaceX signed a very similar contract for its Crew Dragon mission at the same time, although it paid SpaceX <a href="https://spacenews.com/41891nasa-selects-boeing-and-spacex-for-commercial-crew-contracts/">just $2.4 billion</a>.
<h2>Race to the ISS</h2>
SpaceX <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-launch-demo-1">successfully launched</a> its passenger spacecraft to the ISS on Saturday, becoming the first ever private American spacecraft to do so.
Boeing has tests to complete before it takes off.
&#8220;There still are many critical steps to complete before launch and while we eagerly are anticipating these launches, we will step through our test flight preparations and readiness reviews,&#8221; Kathy Lueders, Commercial Crew Program manager at NASA said in an <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2019/02/06/nasa-partners-update-commercial-crew-launch-dates/">official update</a>.
SpaceX is planning a crewed test flight in July of this year. Boeing wants to do the same only <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2019/02/06/nasa-partners-update-commercial-crew-launch-dates/">a month later</a> — and its first pilots are already <a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-crew-announces-first-commercial-astronauts">on stand-by</a>.
Editor&#8217;s note: This story has been edited to remove the mistaken claim that this was the first time an astronaut has launched from American soil since 2011; in reality, the only traveler on SpaceX&#8217;s ISS mission was a dummy.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.space.com/41367-commercial-crew-spacecraft-starliner-dragon.html">Crew Dragon and Starliner: A Look at the Upcoming Astronaut Taxis</a> [Space.com] 

More on Starliner: <a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-crew-announces-first-commercial-astronauts">NASA Announces The First Commercial Astronauts to Pilot The Next Generation of Spacecraft</a>

A first test flight could happen as soon as next month.

Boeing is prepping to launch astronauts to space station

Starliner Express

Commercial Crew Program SpaceX isn’t the only company attempting to revolutionize the way we send astronauts to space. Boeing, the largest aerospace company in the world, is looking to send up its own take on a passenger spacecraft, which it calls the CST-100 Starliner, to the International Space Station. Boeing is planning to launch the capsule — […]

Boeing Is Prepping to Launch Astronauts to Space Station

Boeing is hot on SpaceX's heels.

<h2>Null and Void</h2>
Russia&#8217;s space program is in trouble.
SpaceX <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-launch-demo-1">successfully launched</a> its passenger spacecraft to the International Space Station this past weekend. And that&#8217;s bad news for Russia: astronauts from all corners of the Earth have been relying on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get to the International Space Station ever since the end of NASA&#8217;s Space Shuttle program in 2011 — with Russia reaping huge benefits.
&#8220;With this launch, even if it was ordered by NASA, this private company SpaceX has made Roscosmos null and void,&#8221; Russian space expert Vadim Lukashevich <a href="https://youtu.be/f_4xZJJ9jHU">told TV station Moscow 24</a>, as <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/03/with-dragon-russian-critic-says-roscosmos-acting-left-behind/">quoted by Ars Technica</a>. &#8220;They have shown Roscosmos who&#8217;s who.&#8221;
<h2>Basic Design</h2>
Lukashevich believes that SpaceX&#8217;s Crew Dragon space taxi poses a major threat to Russia&#8217;s outdated Soyuz — the spacecraft&#8217;s basic design hasn&#8217;t changed much since its first deployment in the 1960s — and could leave an Elon Musk-sized hole in Russia&#8217;s space budget.
&#8220;As long as we had at least one foreign astronaut on board, we were launching for free,&#8221; Lukashevich said. &#8220;For us this wasn’t just a freebie — it was a narcotic.&#8221;
&#8220;And now, this narcotic is going to be cut off, and we will be forced to do something,&#8221; he added.
<h2>Cutting the Air With a Knife</h2>
Roscosmos has taken a strangely quiet and passive aggressive tone in light of SpaceX&#8217;s launch, Ars&#8217; space editor Eric Berger points out. A Russian source told Sputnik — which is closely associated with the Russian government — that high levels of isopropyl alcohol were found in the air supply on board the ISS after SpaceX&#8217;s Crew Dragon <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-dock-iss">docked on Sunday</a>.
Which could explain <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1102542883087937536">a tweet</a> from Roscosmos showing ISS crew wearing gas masks — though the space agency made no explicit mention of the air supply.
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3 марта на Международную космическую станцию прибыл корабль Crew Dragon. Его встречали Олег Кононенко, Энн Макклейн и Давид Сан-Жак. 
Экипаж впервые в истории станции работал в противогазах ИПК российского производства — <a href="https://t.co/qZvFiMD91U">https://t.co/qZvFiMD91U</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZvrP2ni2oc">pic.twitter.com/ZvrP2ni2oc</a>
&mdash; РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/1102542883087937536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A number of Soyuz flights are still scheduled for <a href="https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/">this and next year</a>. But SpaceX might be able to upset that streak  — a <a href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-flight-launch-test-prep.html">crewed test flight</a> is slated for July.
And that&#8217;s not to mention that Russia&#8217;s Soyuz might soon have two competitors instead of one: Boeing is <a href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-flight-launch-test-prep.html">already preparing</a> a test flight of its Starliner spacecraft.
READ MORE: <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/03/with-dragon-russian-critic-says-roscosmos-acting-left-behind/">Russia’s passive-aggressive reaction to SpaceX may mask a deeper truth</a> [Ars Technica] 

More on SpaceX&#8217;s Crew Dragon: <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-dock-iss">Watch SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Dock Autonomously With the ISS</a>

A number of Soyuz flights are still scheduled for this year and next.

Expert: SpaceX just made Russia's space program "null and void"

From the U.S. With Love

A Russian space expert argued on Russian TV that SpaceX's recent launch of its Crew Dragon spacecraft will pose a threat to Russia's space efforts.

Expert: SpaceX Just Made Russia’s Space Program “Null and Void”

"They have shown Roscosmos who’s who."

<h2>Autonomous Parking</h2>
After <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-launch-demo-1">successfully launching</a> early on Saturday morning from NASA&#8217;s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, SpaceX&#8217;s next-generation passenger spacecraft Crew Dragon has docked itself to a free dock on the International Space Station at 5:51 am EST this morning.
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The first <a href="https://twitter.com/Commercial_Crew?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Commercial_Crew</a> mission arrived at the space station today when the <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrewDragon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrewDragon</a> completed soft capture on the Harmony module at 5:51am ET. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaunchAmerica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaunchAmerica</a> <a href="https://t.co/Bgcgac0O50">https://t.co/Bgcgac0O50</a> <a href="https://t.co/KfNFpHxpGx">pic.twitter.com/KfNFpHxpGx</a>
&mdash; Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1102162692033306624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The footage, courtesy of the official International Space Station Twitter account, shows Crew Dragon slowly lining up its port with the ISS and approaching slowly.
Crew Dragon docked after visiting a number of other locations outside of the space station, using its thrusters, earlier this morning to test its docking system.
The hatch opened at 8:10 am EST.
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Hatch is open! Crew Dragon will now spend 5 days at the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@space_station</a> <a href="https://t.co/HA9iSWOBVE">pic.twitter.com/HA9iSWOBVE</a>
&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1102194489500753921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques, two astronauts currently on board the ISS, started preparing to open the hatch that leads to the Crew Dragon from inside the station when it docked. Once they got inside, they were greeted by <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-dummy-ripley-demo-1-crew-dragon">SpaceX&#8217;s dummy &#8220;Ripley.&#8221;</a>
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Astronauts on the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a> have opened the hatch on <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a>’s Crew Dragon spacecraft! The station crew can now go inside the first American spacecraft to autonomously dock to the orbiting laboratory. 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/z2rP5MWCqu">pic.twitter.com/z2rP5MWCqu</a>
&mdash; NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) <a href="https://twitter.com/Commercial_Crew/status/1102197822915526657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<h2>Active Docking</h2>
It&#8217;s yet another historic moment for the Crew Dragon mission as the docking procedure is quite different this time when compared to previous Dragon missions: “Dragon was basically hovering under the ISS,” said Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of mission assurance at SpaceX during a pre-launch briefing on Thursday. &#8220;You can see how it moves back and forth and then the [Canadarm] takes it to a berthing bay.&#8221;
In contrast, the Crew Dragon’s docking system is active, he said: &#8220;it will plant itself in front of the station and use a docking port on its own, no docking arm required.&#8221;
<h2>A New Visitor</h2>
Five days from now, Crew Dragon will undock and makes its long way back to Earth. This time around, it will splash down in the Atlantic Ocean — previous (cargo) Dragon missions have touched down in the Pacific.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/3/18244501/spacex-crew-dragon-automatic-docking-international-space-station-nasa">SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule successfully docks to the ISS for the first time</a> [The Verge] 

More on Crew Dragon: <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-crew-dragon-launch-demo-1">SpaceX Launches First U.S. Private Passenger Spacecraft to ISS</a>

"It will plant itself in front of the station and use a docking port on its own, no docking arm required."

Watch SpaceX's Crew Dragon dock autonomously with the ISS

Crew Dragon Dock

SpaceX's next-generation passenger spacecraft Crew Dragon has docked itself to a free dock on the International Space Station at 5:51 am EST this morning.

Watch SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Dock Autonomously With the ISS

It's the first time an American spacecraft has docked autonomously to the station.

<h2>A Historic Launch</h2>
SpaceX successfully launched its Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA&#8217;s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:49 am EST this morning. Main engine cutoff and stage separation were confirmed by SpaceX at 2:52 am EST. First stage successfully landed on the drone ship platform Of Course I Still Love You at 3:00 am EST.
The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station early Sunday morning. It will spend about five days docked to the station before returning to Earth and splashing down in the Atlantic.
The launch marks the first time a private American rocket and spacecraft built for human passengers has ever launched to travel to the space station. An upcoming crewed mission, Demonstration Mission 2, is <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2019/02/06/nasa-partners-update-commercial-crew-launch-dates/">scheduled for July</a>.
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SpaceX and <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA</a> have completed thousands of hours of tests, analyses, and reviews in preparation for Crew Dragon’s first test flight to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@space_station</a> <a href="https://t.co/JvJqeoLKVy">pic.twitter.com/JvJqeoLKVy</a>
&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1101257584797872128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
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There are no human astronauts on board. It does carry &#8220;Ripley,&#8221; a <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-dummy-ripley-demo-1-crew-dragon">SpaceX dummy</a> that will collect valuable information — using sensors all over its body — about what the experience will be like for human astronauts.
A previous version of SpaceX&#8217;s Dragon capsule built solely for cargo became the first <a href="https://www.spacex.com/news/2013/02/08/mission-summary">commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo</a> to the ISS and safely return cargo back down to Earth back in 2012.
Since then, SpaceX has flown <a href="https://www.space.com/18852-spacex-dragon.html">16 successful cargo missions</a> to the space station on behalf of NASA using the Dragon spacecraft.
<h2>Ready to Dock</h2>
If all goes well, the Crew Dragon will rendezvous with the International Space Station at around 6:00 am EST Sunday morning to dock autonomously.
But the docking procedure is quite different this time when compared to previous Dragon missions: &#8220;Dragon was basically hovering under the ISS,&#8221; said Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of mission assurance at SpaceX during a <a href="https://www.space.com/spacex-nasa-ready-for-crew-dragon-test-launch.html">pre-launch briefing</a> on Thursday. &#8220;You can see how it moves back and forth and then the [Canadarm] takes it to a berthing bay.&#8221;
In contrast, the Crew Dragon&#8217;s docking system is active, he said: &#8220;it will plant itself in front of the station and use a docking port on its own, no docking arm required.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZL0tbOZYhE">Crew Demo-1 Mission</a> [SpaceX] 

More on the launch: <a href="https://futurism.com/spacex-dummy-ripley-demo-1-crew-dragon">Meet “Ripley,&#8221; the Dummy SpaceX Is Sending to the Space Station</a>

Main engine cutoff and stage separation were confirmed by SpaceX at 2:52 am EST.

SpaceX launches first U.S. private passenger spacecraft to ISS

Crew Dragon Launch

SpaceX successfully launched its Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 2:49 am EST this morning.

SpaceX Launches First U.S. Private Passenger Spacecraft to ISS

It's a historic moment for space travel.

<h2>Ripley</h2>
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted a picture early this morning of &#8220;Ripley,&#8221; a dummy the spacetech company plans to send to the International Space Station on board the Crew Dragon space capsule this weekend.
Ripley will be an integral part of Demo-1, the first uncrewed test flight of SpaceX&#8217;s futuristic passenger craft that could one day ferry astronauts to the ISS — and the dummy, which is already strapped into the Dragon capsule, is packed with sensors.
&#8220;We call it a smarty, and her name is Ripley,&#8221; SpaceX vice president of Build and Flight Reliability Hans Koenigsmann said in yesterday&#8217;s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-nasa-crew-dragon-woman-dummy-mannequin-launch-2019-2">pre-launch briefing</a>. &#8220;We instrumented the crap out of this vehicle; it&#8217;s got data, sensors everywhere,&#8221; NASA&#8217;s Commercial Crew Program manager Kathy Lueders <a href="https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-dummy-called-ripley.html">added</a>.
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Ripley <a href="https://t.co/Z9Ztram8Ai">pic.twitter.com/Z9Ztram8Ai</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1101370880486076416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Ripley — likely a nod to Sigourney Weaver&#8217;s character in the 1979 movie &#8220;Alien&#8221; — is the spiritual successor to &#8220;Starman,&#8221; the space company&#8217;s dummy that <a href="https://futurism.com/website-tracks-spacexs-starman">rode a Tesla</a> Roadster into the far reaches of Earth orbit. The Roadster launched on top of the first successfully launched Falcon Heavy rocket <a href="https://futurism.com/falcon-heavy-launch-whats-next-spacex/">last February</a>.
The human-sized dummy is covered head to toe in sensors that will tell SpaceX engineers about what the experience travelling to and from the ISS will be like for human astronauts. Ripley is wearing SpaceX&#8217;s Commercial Crew space suit with its already iconic black visor and white design that was <a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musk-just-shared-the-first-photo-of-spacexs-space-suits">revealed in August 2017</a>.
<h2>Smartie</h2>
The Crew Dragon is set to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket in <a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-spacex-crew-dragon-demo-1-test-flight">less than 24 hours</a> from Cape Canaveral, and will attempt to autonomously dock with the ISS early Sunday morning.
If all goes well, SpaceX&#8217;s Crew Dragon could be the first American spacecraft to ferry astronauts to space from U.S. soil since the last Space Shuttle mission in 2011 — and Ripley is getting a first taste of what that&#8217;ll feel like.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-dummy-called-ripley.html">Meet Ripley, SpaceX&#8217;s Dummy Astronaut Riding on Crew Dragon Test Flight</a> [Space.com] 

More on Demo-1: <a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-spacex-crew-dragon-demo-1-test-flight">NASA Clears SpaceX Crew Dragon’s First Test Flight</a>

"We call it a smarty, and her name is Ripley."

Meet “Ripley," the dummy SpaceX is sending to the Space Station

SpaceX Ripley

Elon Musk tweeted a picture of "Ripley" — a sensors-covered dummy that's about to travel to the ISS on board SpaceX's new Crew Dragon spacecraft.

/Crew Dragon