Dragon

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Dragon is a family of reusable spacecraft developed by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer. The spacecraft is designed to carry cargo and crew to space destinations, including the International Space Station (ISS). Dragon was initially developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, aimed at facilitating private companies in supplying the ISS. The first Dragon mission launched in 2010, becoming the first privately developed spacecraft to be successfully recovered from orbit. The spacecraft consists of two variants: Cargo Dragon and Crew Dragon.

Cargo Dragon, also known as Dragon 1, was used from 2012 to 2020 to transport cargo to the ISS. It was notable for being the first commercial spacecraft to deliver and return cargo from the ISS, with multiple resupply missions under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. Cargo Dragon operates in conjunction with the Falcon 9 rocket, which launches it into orbit. After completing its mission, the spacecraft re-enters Earth’s atmosphere and splashes down in the ocean for recovery.

Crew Dragon, also called Dragon 2, is an upgraded version designed for human spaceflight. It first flew with astronauts on board in May 2020 during the Demo-2 mission, marking the first time a commercial company launched humans into orbit. Crew Dragon has a modernized design, with touchscreen controls and advanced life-support systems. It can carry up to seven astronauts and is used for both NASA missions and private spaceflights. Crew Dragon is also capable of autonomous docking with the ISS, a significant improvement over the manual capture process used by Cargo Dragon.

Both versions of the Dragon spacecraft are designed to be reusable. After a mission, the spacecraft undergoes refurbishment and is prepared for future flights, reducing the cost of space transportation. In addition to NASA missions, Dragon spacecraft are used for private and commercial ventures, expanding SpaceX’s role in space exploration and the growing space economy.