The biggest test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will take place this week

[Elderberry]

BGR by Mike Wehner 2/25/2019

n what will undoubtedly be the biggest test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon vehicle to date, the company is scheduled to launch its capsule to the International Space Station on March 2nd, and you can bet that NASA is eagerly anticipating a flawless demonstration.

NASA really, really needs a way to send astronauts to the International Space Station. For years, American scientists have been using Russia’s Soyuz flights to make their way to and from the orbiting laboratory but NASA wants to change that. NASA has inked contracts with both SpaceX and Boeing to produce crew vehicles that it can use to send its astronauts into space, but both companies are already well behind schedule, making this upcoming test even more important.

More: https://bgr.com/2019/02/25/crew-dragon-launch-date-schedule-nasa/

[Elderberry]

SpaceX to send crash test dummy to International Space Station

Sky News

https://news.sky.com/story/spacex-to-send-crash-test-dummy-to-international-space-station-11648047

The launch will mark the second time that Elon Musk's space business has launched a mannequin into space.

SpaceX has been given the thumbs-up to send a crash test dummy to the International Space Station (ISS) in a trial run of its new Crew Dragon spaceship.

The mission will launch on 2 March, said NASA, which added that it marks the first time that a commercially built and operated American rocket and spacecraft designed for humans will launch to the space station.

It is not the first time that billionaire Elon Musk's space business has sent a dummy into orbit.

Last year, in a test of the powerful Falcon Heavy rocket, Musk launched his own Tesla with a dummy at the wheel towards Mars - although the launch missed and the roadster is now headed towards the asteroid belt.

More at link