SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test: Post-Test Media Conference

Officials from NASA and SpaceX participate in a briefing at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the company’s uncrewed In-Flight Abort Test on Jan. 19, 2020. From left to right are Bettina Inclan, NASA Communications; Kathy Lueders, program manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Elon Musk, chief engineer, SpaceX; and NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover. During the flight test, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A and began a planned launch-abort sequence demonstrating the spacecraft’s escape capabilities. The Crew Dragon splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean as expected. The In-Flight Abort Test is a critical milestone in preparation for crewed flights to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.