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SpaceX Crew Dragon Suffers ‘Anomaly’ During Testing in Cape Canaveral

Heavy orange smoke was seen billowing from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where the private spacecraft underwent engine fire testing.

One of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsules suffered an “anomoly” during an engine test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station late Saturday, according to Florida Today. The mishap caused plumes of billowing orange smoke that were widely documented on social media. Officials with the 45th Space Wing, where the testing took place, confirmed the incident. “On April 20, 2019, an anomaly occurred at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during the Dragon 2 static test fire,” Wing Spokesman Jim Williams told Florida Today. “The anomaly was contained and there were no injuries.” SpaceX later confirmed that its capsule was involved. “Earlier today, SpaceX conducted a series of engine tests on a Crew Dragon test vehicle on our test stand at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, Florida,” SpaceX said in a statement. “The initial tests completed successfully but the final test resulted in an anomaly on the test stand.” There is no word whether this will delay SpaceX’s first human space flight scheduled later this year.