The Dragon capsule is a family of spacecraft developed and produced by SpaceX, designed to transport cargo and crew to and from Earth orbit and beyond. There are two primary variants:
- Cargo Dragon (Dragon 1): This version is designed to carry uncrewed cargo missions to the International Space Station (ISS). It can transport both pressurized and unpressurized cargo and is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth.
- Crew Dragon (Dragon 2): An evolution of the Cargo Dragon, Crew Dragon is built to carry up to seven passengers. It features life support systems and other enhancements necessary for human spaceflight.
Recently, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule after a prolonged mission on the ISS. Their mission, initially intended to last eight days, extended to nine months due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner capsule. They safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico aboard the Dragon capsule, ending their extended stay in space.
For a visual representation of the Crew Dragon’s re-entry and splashdown, you can watch the following video: