---
title: "Watch SpaceX Test Its Crew Dragon’s Escape System"
description: "SpaceX just posted dramatic footage of its commercial space shuttle Crew Dragon undergoing hundreds of rigorous tests of its emergency abort system."
date: "2019-09-12"
modified: "2019-09-12"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/video-spacex-crew-dragon-escape-system"
categories:
  - "Crew Dragon"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "crew dragon"
  - "international space station"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "the digest"
---

# Watch SpaceX Test Its Crew Dragon’s Escape System

![SpaceX just posted dramatic footage of its commercial space shuttle Crew Dragon undergoing hundreds of rigorous tests of its emergency abort system.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/video-spacex-crew-dragon-escape-system.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: SpaceX/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Abort! Abort!

SpaceX just posted dramatic footage of its commercial space taxi Crew Dragon undergoing rigorous tests of its emergency abort system.

The idea is that if something goes wrong with the rocket carrying the Crew Dragon to orbit, the module can engage its own thrusters to quickly escape the danger — and then coast down safely on a parachute.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1172215123777216512

## Ejector Button

The spacecraft is outfitted with eight SuperDraco engines, allowing it to cover half a mile in just 7.5 seconds during an emergency, reaching a top speed of 436 mph, according to a [follow-up tweet](<https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1172215123777216512>). Parachutes ensure that the craft safely lands back on Earth after the system deploys.

But testing hasn't always gone according to plan. The same engines were responsible for [blowing up](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-confirms-anomaly-destroy-crew-dragon>) the first Crew Dragon capsule during a system test in April.

Last week, SpaceX [tested](<https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/09/05/spacexs-first-rocket-built-for-humans-test-fired-in-texas/>) the first stage of its Falcon 9 boosters that will be responsible for launching two NASA astronauts into orbit as part of Crew Dragon's first-ever crewed test flight. When exactly that test flight will take place is still uncertain.

**READ MORE:** [SpaceX on Twitter](<https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1172215123777216512>)

**More on Crew Dragon:** *[SpaceX Confirms That Accident Destroyed Crew Dragon Capsule](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-confirms-anomaly-destroy-crew-dragon>)*

## 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>)