SpaceX Dragon 2
| 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 |
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| Crew capacity |
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| Volume |
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| Power |
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| Batteries | 4 × lithium polymer |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Design life |
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| Dimensions | |
| Height |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Maximum thrust |
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| 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 | |
| Part of a series on |
| Private spaceflight |
|---|
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.
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.