Re: Two thirds done?
"The Dragon capsule still needs to undock from the IIS. If it can't undock then that's a big problem for the proposed passenger flight. So I'd say the job is less than two thirds done."
Hmm. I'd say that once you've shown you can dock on autopilot, undocking is pretty much certain to come off without a hitch. It's a hugely easier job.
Certainly something could go wrong - it's complicated and tricky stuff, this space engineering. But most of the next steps are old-hat and relatively low-risk: decouple, jet away carefully to a safe distance, manoeuvre the craft to re-enter.
I'd bet quite a lot that those steps will all work without a hitch. It's the actual re-entry and splash-down, with a geometry and heat shield not yet proven in service - that's the really high risk bit.
We'll soon see if it works.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
