SpaceX says its vehicles ARE man-rated and safe

SpaceX: Our spacecraft ARE safe!

The new Ares-Orion spacecraft is supposed to be literally 10x safer than the space shuttles it will replace. And a recent safety board report endorses the early smaller version of Ares (called the Ares 1) which is currently under threat of cancellation.

That report by the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel also says that private space vehicles do not meet NASA’s guidelines for safety of manned spacecraft.

SpaceX’s founder and president Elon Musk says “not so.” He says his company’s Dragon space vehicle and Falcon 9 launcher “meet all of NASA’s published human-rating requirements, apart from the escape systems.” In fact, this has been SpaceX’s position long before the ASAP report came out. Stung by the report, Musk called it “disappointing” and “bizarre.”

Musk is right on the facts, but panel is right on the decision. SpaceX’s vehicles will, in fact, meet the guidelines for manned flight. But they are still being tested. It’s premature for NASA to give up on Ares 1. NASA does have a long record of building well-designed spacecraft. SpaceX is talented, but still early in the game.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of SpaceX, but…it’s too soon.

If, in a few years, SpaceX and/or Orbital Sciences demonstrate they are ready for the job of safely and dependably sending astronauts into orbit, then NASA could retire Ares 1. But not before.