Pad 39A at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Falcon 9 (a model that had already flown three times) leaves the pad and, 90 seconds after launch, deliberately shuts down its engines. The Dragon capsule separates and saves the virtual crew by splashing down. The Falcon 9’s first stage is detonated, while the second stage crashes into the ocean and explodes. The test is a complete success for SpaceX, paving the way for human flights of the Dragon capsule and the Falcon 9 launcher. Usually, the destruction of a rocket means a failed mission. But on Sunday, January 19, 2020, SpaceX was demonstrating a crucial safety system on its Crew Dragon spacecraft, a capsule that will carry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). There was no one on board, and the passengers this time were two test dummies equipped with sensors to measure the forces real astronauts would experience if the capsule’s escape system were ever needed. The system proved its worth, even during a phase of the flight when atmospheric forces on the spacecraft were most severe. About nine minutes after the test, the capsule landed intact in the Atlantic Ocean.
