SPACE X: Parachute Issues Will Further Delay First Commercial Crew Missions.

Recent parachute test issues SpaceX’s Dragon program — as well as, in some media reports, Boeing’s Starliner — will likely delay the launch of the first commercial crew missions to the International Space Station, an analyst for Forecast International Inc. said.

“In broad stokes, these anomalies will delay both programs,” said Forecast’s Carter Palmer in an e-mail interview. “Boeing, for example, is putting further tests on hold until the issue is identified. SpaceX may have to redesign the parachute in the future.”

Of the two reported failed tests, it is SpaceX’s that received the most media attention — including testimony by NASA’s Bill Gerstenmaier at a May 8 hearing concerning NASA’s deep space and lunar exploration plans. The SpaceX test (which included a test sled instead of a test capsule) simulated a failed main parachute, which was using only three of the included four parachutes; however, the company did complete five similar tests before this failure.

Boeing has also experienced recent parachute test issues, said Gerstenmaier — head of NASA’s human spaceflight program — in an interview with Spaceflight Now.

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