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SpaceX’s Crew Dragon astronaut launch debut a step closer after SuperDraco milestone

SpaceX recently began the installation of SuperDraco abort thrusters on the Crew Dragon capsule set to support Demo-2, SpaceX's first astronaut launch. (SpaceX)

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Photos published by SpaceX reveal that the company has begun to outfit its first astronaut-capable Crew Dragon spacecraft with its eight SuperDraco abort engines, a major milestone along the path to launch.

On October 29th, SpaceX tweeted photos of SuperDraco installation with a caption that confirmed the engines were being installed on Crew Dragon capsule C206, currently assigned to the company’s ‘Demo-2’ astronaut launch debut. These latest photos come just five days after the company published a video of one of many SuperDraco static fire tests, perhaps an indicator that the engines pictured were performing acceptance tests just days prior.

SpaceX is exceptionally thorough when it comes to testing flight hardware before launch: for every new Falcon 9 rocket built, every single Merlin 1D and Vacuum engine is built in California, shipped to Texas for individual static fires, shipped back to CA to be installed on their respective rockets, and then shipped back to TX for an integrated static fire. They’re then shipped to their respective launch sites, where launch technicians perform yet another pre-launch static fire at the launch pad.

Although it’s not known for sure, SpaceX almost certainly takes a similar approach for its Dragon 1 and Dragon 2 spacecraft, both of which feature Draco maneuvering thrusters, while the latter also requires more powerful SuperDraco engines for its launch abort system. More likely than not, all of those (Super)Dracos are tested in McGregor after being assembled in Hawthorne and then shipped back to Hawthorne for installation on Dragon. Due to their reliance on toxic propellant and oxidizer, however, it’s far more challenging to test-fire integrated Crew or Cargo Dragons, although those tests are done once and a while for especially critical milestones.

Crew Dragon capsule C205 and Falcon 9 booster B1046 arrived in Florida around October 3rd ahead of SpaceX’s critical In-Flight Abort (IFA) test. (SpaceX)

In fact, capsule C205 recently arrived in Cape Canaveral alongside its flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket to prepare for Crew Dragon’s critical In-Flight Abort (IFA) test, in which the spacecraft will attempt to escape from a supersonic Falcon 9. Prior to launch, SpaceX plans to static fire Crew Dragon C205’s Draco and SuperDraco thrusters, essentially a repeat of the fated April 20th test that destroyed Crew Dragon capsule C201. If that test goes as planned, the spacecraft will be inspected and finally mated atop Falcon 9, while success will also likely mean that the hardware now being installed on Crew Dragon C206 is equally ready for launch.

In the unlikely event that more issues arise, SpaceX will likely have to uninstall C206’s engines, propellant tanks, and plumbing. If everything works as intended, however, C206’s preemptive hardware installation should mean that the spacecraft will be ready to support SpaceX’s astronaut launch debut much sooner.

At present, Crew Dragon’s IFA static fire is expected no earlier than November 6th, while the abort test itself is now scheduled to launch no earlier than December 2019. Demo-2, Crew Dragon’s NASA astronaut launch debut, is scheduled to launch no earlier than Q1 2020, while SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that the spacecraft and its Falcon 9 rocket should arrive at Pad 39A and be ready for launch as early as November 2019.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla lands regulatory green light for Robotaxi testing in new state

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has landed a regulatory green light to test its Robotaxi platform in a new state, less than three months after the ride-hailing service launched in Texas.

Tesla first launched its driverless Robotaxi suite in Austin, Texas, back on June 22. Initially offering rides to a small group of people, Tesla kept things limited, but this was not to be the mentality for very long.

It continued to expand the rider population, the service area, and the vehicle fleet in Austin.

The company also launched rides in the Bay Area, but it does use a person in the driver’s seat to maintain safety. In Austin, the “Safety Monitor” is present in the passenger’s seat during local rides, and in the driver’s seat for routes that involve highway driving.

Tesla is currently testing the Robotaxi platform in other states. We reported that it was testing in Tempe, Arizona, as validation vehicles are traveling around the city in preparation for Robotaxi.

Tesla looks to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market

Tesla is also hoping to launch in Florida and New York, as job postings have shown the company’s intention to operate there.

However, it appears it will launch in Nevada before those states, as the company submitted its application to obtain a Testing Registry certification on September 3. It was processed by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles Office of Business Licensing on September 10.

It will then need to self-certify for operations, essentially meaning they will need to comply with various state requirements.

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

CEO Elon Musk has stated that he believes Robotaxi will be available to at least half of the U.S. population by the end of the year. Geographically, Tesla will need to make incredible strides over the final four months of the year to achieve this.

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Tesla is improving this critical feature in older vehicles

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is set to improve a critical feature that has not been present in older vehicles with a new update.

Tesla vehicles feature a comprehensive suite of driver assistance features, some of which aid in driving itself, while others support the vehicle’s surroundings.

One of those features is that of Driver Visualization, and with the rollout of a new update, owners of Intel-based Tesla vehicles are receiving an upgrade that will come with a simple software update.

Tesla plans to use Unreal Engine for driver visualization with crazy upgrade

The update will provide new visualizations while Intel-based vehicles are in reverse, a feature that was not previously available, but will be with Software Update 2025.32.2.

The improvement was spotted by Not a Tesla App via TheBeatYT_evil:

Previously, vehicles Tesla built were equipped with Intel-based processors, but newer cars feature the AMD chip, which is capable of rendering these visualizations as they happen. They were capable of visualizations when driving forward, but not in reverse, which is what this change resolves.

It is a good sign for those with Intel-based vehicles, as Tesla seems to be paying attention to what those cars are not capable of and improving them.

This was an undocumented improvement associated with this particular update, so you will not find any mention of it in the release notes that Tesla distributes with each update.

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Tesla looks to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market

Tesla has been transparent that it is prioritizing safety, but it believes it can expand to basically any geographical location within the United States and find success with its Robotaxi suite. CEO Elon Musk said it could be available to half of the U.S. population by the end of the year.

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

Tesla is looking to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market, as the company was spotted testing validation vehicles in one region where it has not yet launched its ride-hailing service.

After launching Robotaxi in Austin in late June, Tesla followed up with a relatively quick expansion to the Bay Area of California. Both service areas are operating with a geofence that is expansive: In Texas, it is 173 square miles, while in the Bay Area, it is roughly 400 square miles.

Tesla has been transparent that it is prioritizing safety, but it believes it can expand to basically any geographical location within the United States and find success with its Robotaxi suite. CEO Elon Musk said it could be available to half of the U.S. population by the end of the year.

There have been plenty of reports out there that have speculated as to where Tesla would land next to test Robotaxi, and Nevada, Florida, Arizona, and New York have all been in the realm of possibility. These regions will need to approve Tesla for regulatory purposes before Robotaxi can officially operate.

Tesla is still testing and performing validation in several regions, and in Tempe, Arizona, things are moving forward as a Model Y with a LiDAR rig was spotted performing ground truth for the platform:

With the LiDAR unit, many followers of the self-driving and autonomy space might wonder why Tesla uses these apparatuses during validation, especially considering the company’s stance and vision-based approach.

LiDAR is used for “ground truth,” which is basically a solidification or confirmation of what the cameras on the car are seeing. It is a great way to essentially confirm the accuracy of the vision-based suite, and will not be used on Robotaxi units used within the ride-hailing suite.

The Robotaxi platform was made available to the public earlier this month, as Tesla launched its app for iOS users.

Tesla Robotaxi app download rate demolishes Uber, Waymo all-time highs

Downloading the app allows you to join a waitlist, giving you the opportunity to utilize and test the Robotaxi platform in either Austin or the Bay Area.

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