Even as an investigation into the Crew Dragon engine failure in a test last week has started, finding out the root cause of the problem may take time, a top NASA official has said.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon is designed to carry humans to the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft completed a successful uncrewed journey to the ISS in March.
“SpaceX is leading the investigation with active NASA participation,” Patricia Sanders, Sanders, Head of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), was quoted as saying by CNET.
“The investigation will take time before the root cause analysis is completed,” Sanders added.
The test that saw the engine failure was carried out on April 20.
The Crew Dragon capsule suffered an “anomaly” during ground testing, according to a SpaceX spokesperson.
“The NASA and SpaceX teams are assessing the anomaly that occurred during a part of the Dragon Super Draco Static Fire Test at SpaceX Landing Zone 1 in Florida. This is why we test,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement following the test on April 20.
The anomaly caused a serious failure with the Crew Dragon and may have resulted in loss of the spacecraft but details remain scant, the CNET report said.