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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A SpaceX capsule that is expected to be the future for manned missions has suffered an explosion.
On Monday, the company was ultra quiet about how the accident will affect this year’s big launches. NASA officials are also being very secretive about the ramifications of Saturday’s accident.
The capsule was supposed to save astronauts but now the capsule itself has failed.
A puff of orange smoke could be seen Saturday when the accident occurred. Days later, the mystery and the anxiety of the incident still hangs over the Space Coast.
A photograph taken from a tour bus shows the aftermath of what Space X calls ‘an anomaly’ with its Dragon Crew Capsule. This is the same capsule that was supposed to take astronauts to the International Space Station this summer. SpaceX tested it during the highly publicized Demo One.
Space X is not responding to our requests for comment.
On Monday, Congressman Bill Posey was on the Space Coast for an event. He serves on the Science Committee. The News Station asked him for an update on the SpaceX mishap and if it will affect deadlines or the deal with NASA.
“No, there’s no indication that that would affect their schedule,” Posey said.
However, Dr. Ken Kremer, a NASA awarded space expert and blogger, says he predicts major delays.
“So instead of talking about July or the fall, you’re talking about maybe end of year, or later into next year, and that’s got a lot of consequences, because how do we get our people to space? We don’t have contracts anymore,” Kremer said.
The next milestone for the capsule was going to be an abort test to see if it could detach from a rocket in an emergency and escape from a Challenger-type disaster.
“Of course we have to be safe, we don’t want to put any astronaut on there, if it isn’t ready,” Kremer said.
Space X has a cargo carrying mission on April 30th. As of now that launch isnt being impacted by Saturday’s accident.