Science

SpaceX video highlights Crew Dragon parachute tests

Elon Musk's space company shows off its progress as it continues to prepare for human spaceflight.

Eli Blumenthal Senior Editor

Eli Blumenthal is a senior editor at CNET with a particular focus on covering the latest in the ever-changing worlds of telecom, streaming and sports. He previously worked as a technology reporter at USA Today.

Expertise 5G, mobile networks, wireless carriers, phones, tablets, streaming devices, streaming platforms, mobile and console gaming

See full bio

Eli Blumenthal

July 19, 2019 7:55 a.m. PT

SpaceX continues to progress in its efforts to bring back human flight travel, releasing a new video this week highlighting its Crew Dragon parachute tests.

The roughly two-and-a-half-minute video, which features the parachutes deploying in a variety of conditions and altitudes, closes with the tag "SpaceX is returning human spaceflight capabilities with one of the safest, most advanced systems ever built."

The video highlighting its landing capabilities comes after a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule unexpectedly exploded during a ground test at Cape Canaveral in Florida on April 20 due to a leak in the spacecraft's pressurization system. Similar to Boeing's Starliner, the Crew Dragon is part of NASA's Commercial Crew program that aims to return to using US-built craft to deliver astronauts to space.

Recent missions have outsourced transport to Russian spacecraft since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011.

It's not yet known when SpaceX will launch the next Crew Dragon flight, named Demo-2, but you can watch the parachute tests below.

CNET's Eric Mack contributed to this story.