Dragon (spacecraft)

Dragon (spacecraft)
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Name	Dragon
Caption	A SpaceX Dragon approaching the International Space Station.
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Designer	SpaceX
Country	United States
Applications	Cargo and crew transport to Low Earth orbit
Status	In service
Built	14
Ordered	22
Launched	24
First flight	8 December 2010 (C1)
Last flight	Ongoing
Power	Solar panels

Dragon (spacecraft). The Dragon is a class of reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX. It was the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and later became the first private spacecraft to transport astronauts to orbit. The vehicle is launched atop the Falcon 9 rocket from historic sites like Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Kennedy Space Center.

Overview

The Dragon spacecraft was conceived under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program initiated by NASA to foster private sector involvement in orbital logistics. Its primary mission is to transport pressurized and unpressurized cargo, scientific experiments, and crew to the International Space Station. The spacecraft consists of two main modules: a pressurized capsule for crew or cargo and an unpressurized trunk that houses solar arrays and carries external payloads. Key operational milestones include its first rendezvous with the International Space Station in 2012 and its first crewed flight, Demo-2, in 2020, which ended the United States' reliance on the Soyuz program following the retirement of the Space Shuttle.

Development and design

Development of Dragon began in the mid-2000s, with SpaceX founder Elon Musk announcing the project publicly in 2006. The design philosophy emphasized reusability and cost reduction, drawing lessons from earlier programs like the Apollo program. The spacecraft's structure is made of a lightweight aluminum-lithium alloy, and it utilizes a PICA-X heat shield for atmospheric re-entry, a material derived from technology used on the Stardust probe. Critical design input and funding came from NASA's Commercial Crew Development and Commercial Resupply Services contracts. The SuperDraco engine, an integrated launch escape system, was a key innovation for the crewed variant, allowing for abort capability from the launch pad through ascent.

Operational history

The operational history of Dragon commenced with its maiden flight, COTS Demo Flight 1, in December 2010, which successfully demonstrated orbital maneuvering and recovery. The first operational cargo mission to the International Space Station, SpaceX CRS-1, launched in October 2012 under the Commercial Resupply Services contract. A significant setback occurred during the SpaceX CRS-7 mission in 2015, which was lost due to a Falcon 9 booster failure. The program achieved a historic milestone with the Demo-2 mission in May 2020, carrying NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken to the station. Subsequent regular crew rotation flights, such as SpaceX Crew-1, have been conducted for NASA and international partners including the European Space Agency and JAXA.

Variants

Two primary variants of the Dragon spacecraft have been developed. The first, **Dragon Cargo**, is an automated vehicle used for cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station. It features a reusable capsule and a disposable trunk. The second, **Crew Dragon** (or Dragon 2), is a human-rated version capable of carrying up to seven astronauts. It includes enhanced systems like touch-screen controls, an environmental control and life support system, and the aforementioned SuperDraco abort engines. A specialized variant, **Dragon XL**, was proposed for cargo delivery to the Lunar Gateway as part of the Artemis program, but its development was halted. The current fleet is being succeeded by the next-generation Starship system.

Specifications

The Crew Dragon capsule has a diameter of approximately 4 meters and a height of 8.1 meters with the trunk attached. It offers a pressurized volume of 9.3 cubic meters for the crew and up to 46 cubic meters of total cargo volume including the unpressurized trunk. Propulsion is provided by a set of Draco thrusters for orbital maneuvering, with the more powerful SuperDraco engines reserved for launch aborts. The spacecraft is designed for water landings under parachutes in the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. It can remain docked to the International Space Station for up to 210 days and is designed for a minimum of five flights to Low Earth orbit with refurbishment.

Category:SpaceX spacecraft Category:Reusable spacecraft Category:Spacecraft launched by Falcon 9