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Boeing

Three parachutes slow the descent of the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 during its successful drop test April 3 at the Delamar Dry Lake Bed near Alamo, Nev.

CST-100 completes parachute drop test

Boeing and partner Bigelow Aerospace successfully completed a parachute drop test of the company's Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft on April 3, at the Delamar Dry Lake Bed near Alamo, Nev. CST-100 is part of the Boeing Commercial Crew Transportation System (CCTS), which will transport people and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), the Bigelow Aerospace Complex and other low Earth orbit destinations.

"This successful test is a tremendous milestone that brings Boeing one step closer to completing development of a system that will provide safe, reliable and affordable crewed access to space," said John Mulholland, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Programs.

The CST-100 test article was lifted to about 11,000 feet and released. Three main parachutes deployed to slow the capsule's descent before six airbags inflated, providing a smooth ground landing. The event was the first drop test of the fully combined vehicle landing system, including all elements.

Last Updated: April 6, 2012 | Comments (0)