SpaceX has announced that it will no longer manufacture the Crew Dragon vehicle that takes astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Saying that it has four space capsules, SpaceX stated that the number of fleet will not be increased any more.
SpaceX, which wants to allocate more resources to Starship, which is the biggest project of the space company and will carry people to Mars, announced that it will stop producing the Crew Dragon capsule. However, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell stated that spare parts will continue to be available if needed.
SpaceX canceled the Crew Dragon capsule
Crew Dragon, the indispensable vehicle for International Space Station launches, currently has four different variations. However, Crew Dragon has to go through the regeneration process after each flight. In other words, SpaceX engineers at the Dragonland base must deal with their equipment or place a new one if necessary to get the vehicle to the ISS ready for flight again.
SpaceX, which wants to devote more time and money to the Starship project, said that it will limit the number of Crew Dragon fleet to 4. Speaking about the capsule, Shotwell said, “We can build more capsules later if it’s really necessary. We know that fleet management is the key to success.”
SpaceX designed the Crew Dragon for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. This move of the company allowed NASA astronauts to go to the ISS alone in the USA, without being dependent on the rockets of different countries (especially to Russia with the Soyuz rocket).
SpaceX has launched 4 astronauts and 1 tourist crew to the ISS so far. During these launches, the capsule did not dock with the ISS, but orbited the station for several days.
However, SpaceX also wants to go beyond the ISS with Starship. Planning a flight to the Moon and even Mars, the company is trying to develop the Starlink to be reusable and capable of landing and taking off from Earth several times. So Starship will not only replace Crew Dragon, but also be a stand-alone launch system.
What do you think about the cancellation of the Crew Dragon vehicle? Don’t forget to share your feedback with us on the SDN Forum or in the comments!
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