The private aerospace company SpaceX is testing part of the re-entry system for its Dragon space capsule in the skies over Arizona.
A NASA video shows four orange-and-white parachutes tethered to a weight the size of a small car, emerging from the back of a C-130 cargo plane and drifting slowly to Earth in the skies above Coolidge. The video was released Wednesday, although NASA says only that the test took place “recently.”
The test was part of the certification process for the manned version of the Dragon capsule, which is scheduled to start ferrying crew members to the International Space Station next year.
Cargo versions of the capsule have already flown several successful missions to the station, although one Dragon was destroyed in June when its Falcon rocket failed shortly after launch. The capsule still must clear more rigorous testing before NASA can certify it to carry humans into space.
The four main parachutes tested above Coolidge are designed to guide to capsule to an ocean landing. SpaceX eventually hopes to land Dragon capsules on solid ground, using rockets to bring it to a gentle touchdown.