When building rockets, one thing is for sure—expect the unexpected! SpaceX, a company in California, is working on a new type of spacecraft that can carry people into space. In March, the craft, called Crew Dragon, successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS). But the next month, Crew Dragon exploded on the launchpad during a test. Luckily, no one was hurt.
For SpaceX, both experiences offer valuable information that will help it make advances in spaceflight. Failure is part of the engineering design process, says Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX. “People learn far more from their failures than they do from successes,” she says.
When building rockets, expect the unexpected! SpaceX builds rockets. It is a company in California. SpaceX is working on a new type of spacecraft. It’s one that can carry people into space. In March, the craft made it to space. It’s called Crew Dragon. It docked at the International Space Station (ISS). But the next month, Crew Dragon exploded on the launchpad. It happened during a test. Luckily, no one was hurt.
For SpaceX, both experiences were valuable. They gave SpaceX information. Scientists can use it to make advances in spaceflight. Failure is part of the engineering design process, says Gwynne Shotwell. She is the president of SpaceX. “People learn far more from their failures than they do from successes,” she says.