Crew Dragon

Sending humans to the International Space Station and beyond

52 'Crew Dragon' stories March 2020 - July 2020

Crew Dragon is a reusable spacecraft that was developed and manufactured by private space company SpaceX. The spacecraft is a variant of the Dragon 2 platform, specifically designed to carry a crew into orbit or to the International Space Station. It stands at 26.7 feet tall and is equipped with 16 Draco thrusters, each capable of producing 90 pounds of force in the vacuum of space.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft made history in November 2020 when it successfully carried a crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Crew-1 mission. This achievement not only marked the first operational crewed flight for Crew Dragon, but it also marked the first crewed night launch from the United States in over ten years.

SpaceX plans to continue to use Crew Dragon to carry crews to the ISS, but the company also plans to use the spacecraft to carry space tourists into orbit in the future.

NASA astronauts returning to Earth from ISS in August after first crewed SpaceX launch in May

Zac Hall Jul 17 2020 - 2:24 pm PT

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NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will depart from the International Space Center in August after becoming the first humans to ever go to space in a SpaceX spacecraft. A successful splashdown will conclude the SpaceX Demo-2 crewed flight test mission to certify the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft for operational missions.

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Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft reach launchpad for milestone SpaceX mission

Zac Hall May 21 2020 - 12:31 pm PT

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The days are counting down to when SpaceX will launch NASA astronauts to space for the first time in history. With under a week until the historic NASA Demo-2 mission kicks off, both the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft have arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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SpaceX tests your Crew Dragon docking skills with its addictive new simulator

Zac Hall May 13 2020 - 10:38 pm PT

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What’s equal parts mesmerizing and terrifying? Manually docking the Crew Dragon to the International Space Station.

This week SpaceX released a simulator that puts you behind the Crew Dragon controls to experience docking first-hand.

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SpaceX prepares for return to human spaceflight from U.S. with 4K Crew Dragon anniversary footage

Zac Hall Mar 2 2020 - 3:31 pm PT

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NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is truly taking flight in 2020.

The major milestone on the horizon is the historic return of human spaceflight capabilities for the United States for the first time since the Space Shuttle Program ended almost a decade ago. We’ve been hitching a ride on Russian rockets since 2011.

SpaceX and Boeing are tasked with taking astronauts to space from American soil, and SpaceX appears best positioned to win the race.

The real prize, ultimately, is multiple American companies capable of human spaceflight.

A Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be launched in space on a Falcon 9 rocket later this year. SpaceX demonstrated its prerequisite launch one year ago today:

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