SpaceX Dragon 2

Dragon 2
	Crew Dragon Endeavour approaching the ISS in May 2024 during Crew-8
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Designer	SpaceX
Country of origin	United States
Operator	SpaceX
Applications	ISS crew and cargo transport; private spaceflight
Website	spacex.com/vehicles/dragon
Specifications
Spacecraft type	Capsule
Launch mass	12,500 kg (27,600 lb)
Dry mass	7,700 kg (16,976 lb)
Payload capacity	6,000 kg (13,000 lb) to orbit; 3,307 kg (7,291 lb) to ISS; 2,507 kg (5,527 lb) return cargo; 800 kg (1,800 lb) disposed cargo;
Crew capacity	4 (normal operations); 7 (emergency evacuation);
Volume	Pressurized: 9.3 m3 (330 cu ft); Unpressurized: 37 m3 (1,300 cu ft);
Power	28 V and 120 V DC buses; 1.5-2 kW solar array;
Batteries	4 × lithium polymer
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Design life	10 days (free flight); 210 days (docked to ISS);
Dimensions
Height	4.5 m (15 ft) capsule only; 8.1 m (26.7 ft) capsule with trunk;
Diameter	4 m (13 ft)
Width	3.7 m (12 ft)
Production
Status	Active
Built	13 (7 crew, 3 cargo, 3 prototypes)
Operational	9 (5 crew, 3 cargo, 1 prototype)
Retired	3 (1 crew, 2 prototypes)
Lost	1 (crew, during uncrewed test)
Maiden launch	Uncrewed test: March 2, 2019; Crewed: May 30, 2020; Cargo: December 6, 2020;
Related spacecraft
Derived from	SpaceX Dragon 1
Launch vehicle	Falcon 9 Block 5
Thruster details
Propellant mass	2,562 kg (5,648 lb)
Powered by	16 × Draco; (additional 2 x Draco in boost trunk or 30 in Deorbit Vehicle configuration on Cargo Dragon); 8 × SuperDraco as launch escape system on Crew Dragon;
Maximum thrust	Draco: 400 N (90 lbf); SuperDraco: 71 kN (16,000 lbf);
Specific impulse	Draco: 300 s (2.9 km/s)
Propellant	N2O4 / CH6N2
Configuration
	; Cross-sectional views of the Crew Dragon; 1: Parachutes, 2: Crew access hatch, 3: Draco thrusters, 4: SuperDraco engines, 5: Propellant tank, 6: IDSS port, 7: Port hatch, 8: Control panel, 9: Cargo pallet, 10: Environmental control system, 11: Heat shield

Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed, manufactured, and operated by the American space company SpaceX for flights to the International Space Station (ISS) and private spaceflight missions. The spacecraft, which consists of a reusable space capsule and an expendable trunk module, has two variants: the 4-person Crew Dragon and Cargo Dragon, a replacement for the Dragon 1 cargo capsule. The spacecraft launches atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, and the capsule returns to Earth through splashdown.^[5]

Crew Dragon's primary role is to transport crews to and from the ISS under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, a task handled by the Space Shuttle until it was retired in 2011. It will be joined by Boeing's Starliner in this role when NASA certifies it. Crew Dragon is also used for commercial flights to ISS and other destinations and is expected to be used to transport people to and from Axiom Space's planned space station.

Cargo Dragon brings cargo to the ISS under a Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract with NASA, a duty it shares with Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft. As of January 2025, it is the only reusable orbital cargo spacecraft in operation, though it may eventually be joined by the under-development Sierra Space Dream Chaser spaceplane.^[11]

^ "DragonLab datasheet" (PDF). Hawthorne, California: SpaceX. September 8, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2011.
^ "NASA, SpaceX to Launch First Astronauts to Space Station from U.S. Since 2011". NASA. Retrieved June 20, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Heiney, Anna (July 23, 2020). "Top 10 Things to Know for NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 Return". nasa.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2020. At the time of undock, Dragon Endeavour and its trunk weigh approximately 27,600 pounds This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ ^a ^b "Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Issuing SpaceX a Launch License for an In-Flight Dragon Abort Test" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. June 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e SpaceX (March 1, 2019). "Dragon". SpaceX. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Cite error: The named reference Audit CRS 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Howell 2024 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Rauf, Jim (Fall 2023). "SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft" (PDF). University of Cincinnati.
^ ^a ^b Richardson, Derek. "Dragon 2". Orbital Velocity. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
^ "The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2012" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. February 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2014. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ "Dream Chaser Lifting Body Set For Delivery To NASA Ahead Of 2024 Launch | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved December 8, 2023.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[sx20090918-1] "DragonLab datasheet" (PDF). Hawthorne, California: SpaceX. September 8, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2011.

[2] "NASA, SpaceX to Launch First Astronauts to Space Station from U.S. Since 2011". NASA. Retrieved June 20, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[nasa.gov-3] Heiney, Anna (July 23, 2020). "Top 10 Things to Know for NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 Return". nasa.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2020. At the time of undock, Dragon Endeavour and its trunk weigh approximately 27,600 pounds This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[StarshipToMars-5] "Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Issuing SpaceX a Launch License for an In-Flight Dragon Abort Test" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. June 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2022.

[spxdragonwebsite-6] SpaceX (March 1, 2019). "Dragon". SpaceX. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.

[Audit_CRS_2018-8] Cite error: The named reference Audit CRS 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Howell_2024-9] Cite error: The named reference Howell 2024 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[10] Rauf, Jim (Fall 2023). "SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft" (PDF). University of Cincinnati.

[Orbital_Velocity-11] Richardson, Derek. "Dragon 2". Orbital Velocity. Retrieved August 22, 2024.

[FAA2012-12] "The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2012" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. February 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2014. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[13] "Dream Chaser Lifting Body Set For Delivery To NASA Ahead Of 2024 Launch | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved December 8, 2023.

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