SpaceX will end Crew Dragon capsule production as Starship's shadow grows
Reuters reports that SpaceX has begun to wind down Crew Dragon capsule production after assembling a fleet of four reusable spacecraft, highlighting the company’s growing desire to pivot starships.
According to SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Gwynne Shotwell, who spoke with Reuters reporter Joy Roulette, the company already Production of the new Crew Dragon capsule recently ended after the fourth operational spacecraft was completed. Nicknamed “Freedom” by its crew, Dragon Capsule C212 (Dragon 2 Capsule #12) is scheduled to launch early April 19 and will eventually ferry SpaceX’s fourth crew of government astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
While ending production of Crew Dragon may seem like a dramatic and unexpected move less than two years after the launch of the operational astronautics and undeniably hints at the company’s desire for Starship, it’s as much Not as disturbing as it seems.
Above all, Shotwell did not explicitly mention the production of Cargo Dragon 2. It is possible that there may have been miscommunication during the short Q&A and that there is a general statement about ending production of All The Dragon capsule was only offered on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon variant, but the Reuters article strongly implies that only Crew Dragon production has ended.
As of today, SpaceX’s fleet without a crew has only two operational cargo Dragon 2 capsules – both have already flown twice. after a recent contract extensionSpaceX is scheduled to complete at least 11 more ISS cargo deliveries and recoveries by 2027 and while that’s possible the company is confident enough to gamble that two Dragon 2 capsules can complete all 15 CRS 2 resupply missions. A SpaceX engineer has confirmed that at least one more cargo Dragon is due for launch in 2022. With three Dragons, that would at least give SpaceX the ability to meet its CRS 2 obligations, even if one capsule is damaged or lost.
In the meantime, Shotwell indicated that SpaceX will retain the ability to restart Dragon production if needed — easier said than done. At the same time, the company will still have to churn out at least a half dozen or more expendable Dragon ‘trunks’ per year and continue to manufacture a wide range of replacement parts. As long as the launch continues, a substantial team will also be needed to refurbish and operate the Crew and Cargo Dragons.
But by and large, the move to end Crew Dragon capsule production says one thing above all: SpaceX is cutting back a bit to redirect the bulk of its Falcon and Dragon workforce to Starship development. If SpaceX can make it work, the Starship – a fully reusable two-stage rocket – could cost nearly as much per launch as the Dragon and Falcon, but its launch costs could drop by an even magnitude Less – All while offering an order of magnitude more space, performance and capabilities.
Crew Dragon is currently used to launch four astronauts at once. A single crewed starship could have more habitable volume than the entire International Space Station And tote 40 Astronauts in orbit inside it in a single launch. Cargo Dragon typically delivers about three tons (~6600 lb) of cargo to the ISS. A cargo starship could deliver dozens of tons at once—more cargo space than NASA would know what to do with after decades of being shipped under the tyranny of razor-thin mass margins.
NASA is the single largest individual investor in Starship after contracting with SpaceX to build a version of Starship capable of returning astronauts to the Moon for about $3 billion, meaning the space agency would need to be able to build a vehicle for the first time. Will be well aware of and involved in development. next 5-10 years. It would be logical to extract as much value from that investment as possible while simultaneously revolutionizing the transportation of cargo and, one day, carrying astronauts to Earth orbit and beyond.
Unfortunately, there’s no real guarantee that NASA will actually do this, but SpaceX’s choice to end Dragon capsule production so quickly makes it clear that the company needs to lay the groundwork for such a transition. is ready.
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