NASA asks SpaceX to focus on astronaut safety

We may have to slow down the pace: an advisory committee of the NASA to have you SpaceX that crew safety must be given priority during missions to the International Space Station (ISS), a warning that comes shortly after a series of incidents, including most recently the hospitalization of four astronauts after a return mission from the ISS. Kent Rominger, former astronaut of the Aerospace Security Advisory Committee, recalled several recent anomalies with the Falcon 9 rockets and the Crew Dragon capsule, suggesting in passing that the rapid pace of SpaceX launches could compromise the safety of astronauts. SpaceX has so far been a particularly reliable partner of NASA, which has notably succeeded in numerous manned missions for the ISS, but Rominger believes that the American firm must pay greater attention to security as the equipment ages and the frequency of operations increases.

The return to Earth of the Crew Dragon capsule on October 25

In addition to the problems with the Dragon capsule, the Falcon 9 rockets have recently experienced several malfunctions, including missed landing zones, a failed satellite delivery due to an upper stage malfunction, and an incident of propellant which caused a fire on a drone. It must be said that SpaceX is on a record pace, with the objective being assured of 148 launches in 2024, a pace which could have an impact on the reliability of launches.