Two years after SpaceX delivered its first astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) in the Crew Dragon capsule, the company announced the discontinuation of spacecraft production. In an interview with Reuters, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said that there are currently no plans to build a new Crew Dragon. In an interview with Reuters, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said that there are currently no plans to build a new Crew Dragon.
The transition to discontinuing the production of spacecraft is partly due to the company’s desire to redirect the released resources to more significant projects. We are talking about a super-heavy launch vehicle and a Starship spacecraft capable of delivering an expedition to the Moon and even Mars in the coming years.
The youngest spacecraft
The four-seat Crew Dragon flew to the International Space Station for the first time during a test flight without a crew in 2019. A year later, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken made the first manned flight to the ISS. They were delivered into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This flight was historic — it was the first commercially built spacecraft that delivered astronauts into orbit. It was also the first return of astronauts from orbit on an American spacecraft after the closure of the Space Shuttle program.
To date, SpaceX capsules have made four crewed flights to the ISS and back. There was also an orbital flight as part of the first space mission, consisting entirely of non-professional astronauts.
55 million dollars per place
The next Crew Dragon mission is scheduled for April 6. The spacecraft flight will take three tourists and a former NASA astronaut to the ISS for a little more than a week. The long-awaited mission will be the first private trip of NASA and SpaceX astronauts to the orbital outpost. Moreover, each of the participants paid about USD 55 million for a unique experience.
Earlier, Elon Musk announced new dates for the first orbital test of Starship.
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