NASA Commercial Crew Program Mission in Sight for 2018
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-commercial-crew-program-mission-in-sight-for-2018

Spacecraft: SpaceX is making significant progress on the six Crew Dragon spacecraft that the company currently has in various stages of production and testing. SpaceX’s structural qualification module has undergone extensive testing, which is scheduled to be complete in the first half of 2018. The company will continue ongoing hardware and software testing on its Environment Control and Life Support System, or ECLSS, module, through early 2018. The crew module that will be used to support SpaceX’s upcoming Demonstration Mission 1 has had its critical onboard avionics powered up and has completed integration of the module’s pressure section and service section’s structural components with preparations ongoing for its flight in 2018. Progress continues on SpaceX’s spacecraft for Demonstration Mission 2 and both of the company’s initial crew rotation missions.

Spacesuit: SpaceX will continue ongoing qualification and validation testing on its advanced spacesuits next year, including NASA’s four CCP flight test astronauts for a variety of the assessments, including suit-fit, reach and visibility assessments, and pressure tests. The company is in the process of manufacturing custom suits for each of the four astronauts, which will ensure a proper fit and comfortable ride to and from the International Space Station in the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Merlin/SuperDraco Testing: 2018 will see continued, rigorous qualification testing of SpaceX’s Block 5 M1D and MVacD engines at the company’s engine development and testing facility in McGregor, Texas. These advanced engines are manufactured by SpaceX at their headquarters in Hawthorne, California, and will power Falcon 9’s first and second stages respectively as they lift the Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit to rendezvous with the International Space Station. SpaceX also will complete major integrated system testing of its Draco and 3-D-printed SuperDraco thrusters on the company’s SuperModule test stand in 2018.

Demo-1 Flight Test: SpaceX is targeting the second quarter of 2018 for its first demonstration mission with Crew Dragon to and from the International Space Station. This uncrewed mission will launch from Pad 39A, serving as an important rehearsal for later missions carrying NASA astronauts. Using Crew Dragon’s advanced autonomous rendezvous and docking capabilities, SpaceX will complete a full mission profile to test the crewed Block 5 Falcon 9, the Dragon Spacecraft, and associated ground systems including Mission Control in Hawthorne.

In-Flight Abort Test: SpaceX is slated to complete an important in-flight abort test using both Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon in the time between the company’s two demonstration flights in 2018. Using Crew Dragon’s powerful onboard SuperDraco thrusters, built at the company’s headquarters in California and tested in Texas, SpaceX will demonstrate its capability to swiftly carry astronauts to safety in the unlikely event of an in-flight anomaly. The test will be conducted from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Demo-2 Flight Test: SpaceX is progressing towards its first crewed mission under the Commercial Crew Program – Demo-2 – in the third quarter of 2018. This mission will see two NASA astronauts flying to and from the International Space Station in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission will represent a major milestone in the return of crewed flights to the space station from American soil. This second demonstration mission will serve as a precursor to fully operational crew rotation missions under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Launch Complex 39A: Over the course of 2017, SpaceX reactivated Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, successfully launching a dozen missions from the historic pad. In 2018, SpaceX will continue upgrading LC-39A to support upcoming commercial crew missions, including the installation of their Crew Access Arm and white room on LC-39A’s fixed service structure in the spring.

Parachutes: SpaceX completed the first round of qualification testing for Crew Dragon’s parachute system in 2017. The second round of parachute system validation testing will be completed by mid-2018.

Recovery Trainer Testing: In preparation for the unlikely event of an unusual recovery situation, SpaceX has been working closely with NASA and the Department of Defense to practice to ensure safety throughout various contingency crew recovery scenarios. The company will complete an additional round of in-water rescue trainer exercises off the coast of Florida in 2018.