An investigation team has been assembled at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) following a failure that occurred on the third Parachute Drop Test (PDT) at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona.
The incident, which destroyed the Drop Test Vehicle (DTV), happened during a drop test of the pilot parachute on top of the DTV, which impacted the ground at such a speed, special excavation equipment is required to recover the nose of the DTV – which is buried 30 feet below the surface.