SpaceX is reportedly halting the development of new Crew Dragon vehicles to shuttle humans between Earth and the International Space Station.
According to a Reuters article, the business will continue to produce parts for the existing fleet for refurbishment needs. It will have the appropriate production infrastructure in place if more Crew Dragon units are required in the future.
Since its launch in 2020, the reusable module has flown five flights to space. It is part of NASA's commercial space program, which aims to improve orbital transportation capabilities with the support of private partners.
The Crew Dragon, called the first private rocket to transport human passengers to the International Space Station, can carry up to seven passengers at a time.
Slash Gear said the ship, which stands roughly 27 feet tall and features a pressurized portion at the top for passengers and ecologically sensitive cargo, uses Draco rockets to push it around Earth's orbit.
GULF OF MEXICO - AUGUST 2: In this handout image provided by NASA, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, is lifted onto the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship after landing in the Gulf of Mexico on August 2, 2020 off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.
SpaceX to Stop Making Crew Dragon Space Capsules After Exceeding 5 to 10 Trips to ISS
Axiom Space, which is due to launch four entrepreneurs to the Space Station in its maiden Ax-1 trip next month, has at least four additional private Crew Dragon missions planned. Add in NASA's $3.5 billion investment in SpaceX to construct and launch Crew Dragon on nine missions to the International Space Station (including three to replace Boeing's delayed Starliner capsule).
The reusable Crew Dragon has regularly been transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station since its debut voyage in 2020. PCMag said the capsules were returned to SpaceX's "Dragonland" facility in Florida for post-flight maintenance after each expedition.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell has previously claimed that the Crew Dragon capsules are set to make "five to ten trips." NASA was still working on calculating how many times they could be used before decommissioning them for safety concerns.
NASA has already said that SpaceX's vehicles would be required for more flights than originally intended. Boeing's Starliner-major SpaceX's competitor also has a contract with NASA for crewed ISS missions that have been delayed due to development issues.
SpaceX To Finish Final Capsule, But...
The business is learning how to maintain a fleet and swiftly solve unanticipated faults without disrupting a busy schedule of astronaut trips as it transitions away from creating new Crew Dragon capsules.
According to the Daily Mail, Shotwell stated that they are nearing the completion of their last capsule. They are, however, continuing to manufacture components since the parts will be refurbished.
She went on to say that SpaceX will keep the potential to manufacture more capsules in the future if the need arises, but "fleet management is critical."
The ability to save money by reusing components, such as the first stage of rockets, has been a crucial facet of SpaceX's success, and it looks like the spaceship will join that economic strategy.
It was inevitable that the corporation would eventually stop producing spacecraft and focus on controlling the fleet it already had and scheduling launches around the four spacecraft.
However, neither the timeframe nor his strategy of deploying the existing fleet to complete its backlog of missions was known.
RELATED ARTICLE: SpaceX to Reuse Dragon Spacecraft Fleet After Rocket Booster from NASA Crew-1 'Leaned'
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