---
title: "NASA Commercial Crew Manager Calls SpaceX Explosion a “Gift”"
description: "Kathy Lueders, manager of the commercial crew program at NASA, sees SpaceX's Crew Dragon explosion as a blessing in disguise."
date: "2019-05-30"
modified: "2019-05-30"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-leader-spacex-explosion-gift"
categories:
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "crew dragon"
  - "NASA"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Commercial Crew Manager Calls SpaceX Explosion a “Gift”

![Kathy Lueders, manager of the commercial crew program at NASA, sees SpaceX's Crew Dragon explosion as a blessing in disguise.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/nasa-leader-spacex-explosion-gift.png>)
*\<em\>Image: SpaceX/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Crew Dragon Explosion

On April 20, reports [emerged](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-anomaly-crew-dragon-test>) that SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft had exploded during an engine test. It [took nearly two weeks](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-confirms-anomaly-destroy-crew-dragon>) for SpaceX to admit the capsule was destroyed — but Kathy Lueders, manager of the commercial crew program at NASA, sees the accident as a blessing in disguise.

In fact, she said during a committee meeting earlier this week, she sees the incident as a "gift."

"We're learning a lot," she said, according to [*Space News*](<https://spacenews.com/investigation-into-crew-dragon-incident-continues/>). "Sometimes you learn more from a failure like this."

## Anomaly Investigation

The investigation into the incident is still ongoing — though we do know the problem was with a liquid fuel rocket engine, eight of which make up the Crew Dragon's launch escape system.

The explosion is still a big setback for the SpaceX team.

"They’re getting their vehicle ready by the end of year," Lueders said, as quoted by *Space News*. "We need to close out the anomaly investigation. That’s the big thing."

Demo-2 is supposed to test out SpaceX's groundbreaking human passenger system — but this time with a crew on board. That test flight's date was initially set for July — though that seems unlikely after the blast.

**READ MORE:** [Investigation into Crew Dragon incident continues](<https://spacenews.com/investigation-into-crew-dragon-incident-continues/>) \[*Space News*\]

**More on recent anomalies:** *[NASA Admits SpaceX Ship Crashed During Failed Test Last Month](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-spacex-test-shuttle-crash-landed>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)