Credit: NASA
Dragon was the FIRST PRIVATE SPACECRAFT TO THE SPACE STATION
SpaceCraft Overview
Several firsts for SpaceX include: Dragon became the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to be recovered successfully from orbit during the initial flight in December 2010. In May 2012, Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to successfully rendezvous with and attach to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the NASA contract with SpaceX.
Manufacturer
Country of origin
Operator
Primary Function
Design life
2 years
Dry mass
Payload Capacity
3,500 kg (7,700 lb) return cargo (Pressurized)
3,000 kg (6,600 lb) disposed cargo
Crew
Dimensions
Diameter: 3.7 m (12 ft)
Total Height 6.1 m (20 ft)
Height: 2.9 m (9.5 ft)
Trunk: 2.3 m (7.5 ft)
Extended Trunk: 4.3 m (14.1 ft)
Volume
unpressurized 14.0 m3 (490 cu ft)
unpressurized* 34.0 m3 (1,200 cu ft)
* Extended Trunk
Status
Built
13 (7 reused)
Launched
20 ( 1 lost due to an in-flight explosion of the carrier rocket in 2015)
First launch
Fuel
Commercial Crew Program launched on March 2, 2019 at 2:49 a.m.
SpaceCraft Overview
Crew Dragon is pat of the NASA-SpaceX Commercial Crew Program contract. SpaceX leveraged large portions the Crew Dragon design from the success of the Cargo Dragon. The Dragon spacecraft is capable of carrying up to 7 Crew to and from Earth orbit, and beyond. There is a pressurized and unpressurized section of the spacecraft. The pressurized section of the spacecraft (capsule) is designed to carry both people and cargo that is environmentally sensitive.
Dragon’s trunk not only carries unpressurized cargo but also supports the spacecraft during ascent. The trunk remains attached to Dragon until shortly before reentry into Earth’s atmosphere where it is discarded.
First launched on March 2, 2019 at 2:49 a.m. ET. The Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station at 6:02 a.m. ET on March 3, 2019, becoming the first American spacecraft in history to autonomously dock with the International Space Station.
Manufacturer
Country of origin
Operator
Primary Function
Design life
210 days docked to ISS
Dry mass
Payload Capacity
6,000 kg (13,228 lb) to ISS orbit when launched on Falcon 9
3,000 kg (6,600 lb) return cargo (Pressurized)
800 kg (1,800 lb) disposed cargo
Crew
Dimensions
Height: 8.1 m (27 ft) (with trunk)
Sidewall angle: 15 degrees
Volume
unpressurized 12.1 m3 (430 cu ft)
Status
Built
Launched
First launch
Fuel
About The Author
Bill D'Zio
Co-Founder at WestEastSpace.com
Bill founded WestEastSpace.com after returning to China in 2019 to be supportive of his wife's career. Moving to China meant leaving the US rocket/launch industry behind, as USA and China don't see eye to eye on cooperation in space. Bill has an engineering degree and is an experienced leader of international cross-functional teams with experience in evaluating, optimizing and awarding sub-contracts for complex systems. Bill has worked with ASME Components, Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) for use in launch vehicles, satellites, aerospace nuclear, and industrial applications.
Bill provides consulting services for engineering, supply chain, and project management.
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