From arstechnica.com
![Image of a rocket above a large plume of flame.](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-19-at-10.30.53-AM-800x446.png)
Today, SpaceX attempted a critical test of its ability to launch humans to orbit: the ability to get them away from the rocket if things go wrong. Shortly after liftoff, the company shut down the main engines of its Falcon 9 rocket, and fired off the system that’s meant to return the crewed capsule safely to Earth.