What mandatory safety mechanism is required for a rocket to achieve human-rating?
Answer
A functional launch abort system
For any vehicle to achieve human-rating status, especially for missions involving government crew transport, it must incorporate specific, rigorous safety mechanisms. The most frequently cited mandatory system is a functional Launch Abort System (LAS). This system must be capable of safely separating and pulling the crew capsule away from a malfunctioning booster during the ascent phase. The performance of this abort mechanism must be validated extensively, often through dedicated uncrewed test flights specifically designed to trigger the abort sequence under stress conditions.
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