SpaceX Dragon 2

Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, primarily for flights to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX also launches private missions, such as Inspiration4 and Axiom Space Missions. There are two variants of the Dragon spacecraft: Crew Dragon, a spacecraft capable of ferrying four crewmembers, and Cargo Dragon, a replacement for the original Dragon 1 used to carry freight to and from space. The spacecraft consists of a reusable space capsule and an expendable trunk module. The spacecraft launches atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket and the capsule returns to Earth through splashdown.

Dragon 2
Crew Dragon approaching the ISS in March 2019, during Demo-1
ManufacturerSpaceX
Country of originUnited States
OperatorSpaceX
ApplicationsISS crew and cargo transport; private astronaut transport
Websitespacex.com/vehicles/dragon
Specifications
Launch mass12,519 kg (27,600 lb) in-orbit mass at the time of undock from ISS. The reentry capsule weighs 9,616 kg (21,200 lb) including crew + 150 kg (330 lb) payload (Crew Dragon Demo-2)
Dry mass7,700 kg (17,000 lb) (reentry capsule only)
Payload capacity
  • 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) to orbit
  • 3,307 kg (7,291 lb) to ISS (up to 2,507 kg (5,527 lb) pressurized and up to 800 kg (1,800 lb) unpressurized)
  • 2,507 kg (5,527 lb) return cargo
  • 800 kg (1,800 lb) disposed cargo
Crew capacity4
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 4 m (13 ft)
  • Height: 8.1 m (27 ft) (with trunk)
  • Sidewall angle: 15°
Volume
  • 9.3 m3 (330 cu ft) pressurized
  • 12.1 m3 (430 cu ft) unpressurized
  • 37 m3 (1,300 cu ft) unpressurized with extended trunk
EquipmentCrews and pressurized as well as unpressurized logistics
RegimeLEO
Design life
  • 10 days (free flight)
  • 210 days (docked to ISS)
Production
StatusActive
Built9 (4 crew, 3 cargo, 1 ECLSS, 1 retired)
1 under construction (crew)
Launched9 cargo, 13 crew (+2 suborbital)
OperationalYes
Retired1 (prototype)
Lost1 (in testing)
Maiden launch2 March 2019 (uncrewed test)
30 May 2020 (crewed)
6 December 2020 (cargo)
Related spacecraft
Derived fromSpaceX Dragon (23 cargo missions)
Engine details
Powered by
Maximum thrust18 × 400 N (90 lbf) (Draco)
Specific impulse300s (vacuum)(Draco)
Propellant2,562 kg (5,648 lb) NTO / MMH propellant
 SpaceX Dragon 1

Cargo Dragon supplies cargo to the ISS under a Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract with NASA. The first flight of Dragon 2 in a cargo configuration launched in December 2020. It shares this duty with Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft, and Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser spaceplane is expected to join them in 2024. As of July 2023 it is the only reusable orbital cargo spacecraft in operation.

As of July 2023, Crew Dragon is the only U.S. human-rated orbital transport spacecraft. Crew Dragon's primary role is to transport crews to and from the ISS under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, succeeding the crew orbital transportation capabilities of the Space Shuttle, which retired from service in 2011. It will be joined by Boeing Starliner in this role in 2025. Crew Dragon is also used for commercial flights, some of them to the ISS, and is expected to be used to shuttle people to and from Axiom Space's planned space station.

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