NASA Invites Media to SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test for Commercial Crew

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Media accreditation is open for SpaceX's In-Flight Abort Test as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The flight test of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft is targeted for no earlier than December – an exact test date still is to be determined -- from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This will be among the final major tests for the company before NASA astronauts will fly aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft. As part of the test, SpaceX will configure the spacecraft to trigger a launch escape shortly after liftoff and demonstrate Crew Dragon's capability to safely separate from the rocket in the unlikely event of an in-flight emergency. The demonstration also will provide valuable data toward NASA certifying SpaceX's crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Media accreditation deadlines are as follows:

• International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by 4 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 6, for access to Kennedy media activities.
• U.S. media must apply by 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13.

All accreditation requests should be submitted online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov     

For questions about accreditation, please email ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For other questions, contact Kennedy's newsroom at 321-867-2468.

Reporters with special logistics requests for Kennedy, such as space for satellite trucks, trailers, tents, electrical connections, or work spaces, must contact Tiffany Fairley at tiffany.l.fairley@nasa.gov by Dec. 13.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011. The goal of the program is safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station, which could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.

For test coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the test, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

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SOURCE NASA