Space company SpaceX wants to transport people in space. The company has been operating NASA flights to and from the International Space Station for many years, but has only transported freight so far.
Safety test
Elon Musk wants to change that. That is why SpaceX has today tested a system that will allow NASA astronauts to be brought to safety should an emergency occur during a rocket launch.
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The test was conducted with a Falcon 9 rocket, one of the largest rockets from SpaceX. A capsule was placed on top of the rocket in which the astronauts would normally sit. No astronauts were on board during the test.
Explosion
The Falcon 9 simulated a failure 84 seconds after launch by dropping all nine engines. The propulsion rockets of the personnel capsule then forcefully pushed the capsule away from the rocket, which subsequently exploded in the air.
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The personnel capsule is split into two at a height of approximately 40 kilometers. The top of the spacecraft was brought to the right place, after which parachutes unfolded. Ten minutes after the launch, the capsule landed quietly in the Atlantic Ocean.
The rocket should have been launched yesterday, but then it was too bad again. That is why the launch was postponed.
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