On May 6, SpaceX completed the Dragon's pad abort test and successfully demonstrated how astronauts would escape should an emergency occur - an important step in preparing for Crew Dragon's manned missions.
SpaceX explained: "Crew Dragon's abort system is powered by eight SuperDraco engines which together produce 120,000 pounds of axial thrust. The engines are integrated directly into the sides of the vehicle rather than carried on top of the vehicle as with previous launch abort systems. This configuration provides astronauts escape capability from the launch pad all the way to orbit and allows the spacecraft to use the same thrusters to land propulsively on land at the end of a mission."
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