Decision comes due to concerns over debris impact on populated areas
Facilities in Port of Long Beach to be used for initial post-flight processing after landing in the Pacific
NASA and SpaceX identified at least five instances of debris reaching Earth's surface during crewed missions with no injuries or significant property damage
Shift in recovery operations expected to reduce likelihood of debris falling over populated areas and improve scheduling predictability
SpaceX to move Dragon splashdowns from East to West Coast starting in 2025
SpaceX will implement software change for Dragon to execute deorbit burn before jettisoning trunk
SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company, has announced plans to move Dragon splashdowns from the East Coast to the West Coast starting in 2025. This decision comes as a response to concerns regarding debris created by reentering trunk sections and their potential impact on populated areas.
According to reports, NASA and SpaceX have identified at least five instances where debris made it to Earth's surface during crewed missions, but no injuries or significant property damage occurred. To mitigate these risks, SpaceX will implement a software change that will have Dragon execute its deorbit burn before jettisoning the trunk.
The shift in recovery operations is expected to reduce the likelihood of debris falling over populated areas and improve scheduling predictability for both NASA and SpaceX. The company plans to use facilities in the Port of Long Beach for initial post-flight processing after landing in the Pacific.
This change marks a significant adjustment for SpaceX, which has previously conducted Dragon splashdowns off the coast of Florida. However, with this new approach, both organizations aim to ensure a safer and more efficient recovery process.
SpaceX will move Dragon splashdowns back to the West Coast starting in 2025.
NASA and SpaceX are working on ways to better control the debris created by reentering trunks.
SpaceX will implement a software change that will have Dragon execute its deorbit burn before jettisoning the trunk.
Accuracy
SpaceX is moving Dragon spacecraft recovery operations from the East Coast to the Pacific.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The author makes an appeal to authority when stating that 'industry-standard models' predicted that the trunk would break up completely on reentry. However, this prediction has not been accurate as sizable pieces of debris from Dragon trunks have survived reentry and landed in various places without causing damage or injuries. The author also mentions a potential solution to mitigate the debris risk by jettisoning the trunk after Dragon performs its deorbit burn, but does not provide any fallacious reasoning against this solution.
SpaceX is moving Crew Dragon splashdowns to the West Coast due to debris issues and predictability for scheduling.
Repeated debris issues have occurred in areas ranging from Australia to North Carolina.
Accuracy
SpaceX will implement a software change and task future spacecraft after Crew-9 to splash down on the Pacific coast.
Sizable pieces of debris from Dragon trunks have landed in various places including Australia, Saskatchewan and North Carolina.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The article contains an appeal to authority when SpaceX's director of Dragon mission management, Sarah Walker, states 'We understand exactly what they [SpaceX] have done.' This implies that because NASA understands what SpaceX has done, it must be correct. However, this does not necessarily mean that there are no fallacies in the rest of the article.
'We understand exactly what they [SpaceX] have done.', Sarah Walker
SpaceX is moving Dragon spacecraft recovery operations from the East Coast to the Pacific
NASA and SpaceX have identified at least five instances where debris made it to Earth’s surface during crewed missions, but no injuries or significant property damage occurred.
SpaceX plans to use facilities in the Port of Long Beach for initial post-flight processing after landing in the Pacific.
Accuracy
SpaceX will move Dragon splashdowns back to the West Coast starting in 2025
