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SpaceX is reportedly ending Crew Dragon capsule production

The company is reportedly looking at the development of the Crew Dragon capsule's successor.

Chris Jarrard
Chris Jarrard
2

According to sources familiar with the matter, SpaceX has concluded active production on its Dragon Crew modules for the company’s rockets. The Crew Dragon modules were responsible for carrying human cargo on SpaceX excursions.

In a statement to Reuters, the company explained that development on the Crew Dragon capsule was finished as the company begins moving forward on the development of the capsule’s successor, which will be used with SpaceX’s upcoming Starship rocket platform. "We are finishing our final (capsule), but we still are manufacturing components, because we'll be refurbishing," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell explained to Reuters.

While SpaceX currently has four of the Crew Dragon capsules available for use, it is leaving open the possibility of constructing additional capsules should the need arise. To date, the Crew Dragon capsule has shuttled five crews of government and private astronauts to space since 2020. NASA has been using SpaceX equipment to ferry astronauts between Earth and the International Space Station in recent years.

The Crew Dragon capsules were designed for multiple excursions into space. Since they went into operation, SpaceX has been refurbishing the modules post-mission to make repairs and ensure the safety of the occupants. "There are lifetime cycle issues, where once you start using it the third, fourth, fifth time, you start finding different things," said retired NASA astronaut and former SpaceX executive Garrett Reisman. “"SpaceX is really good about identifying these issues quickly and then acting quickly to fix them," he added.

For more coverage on SpaceX and its ambitions of enabling commercial travel to the moon, Mars, and the stars beyond, make sure to keep checking in with us here at Shacknews.

Contributing Tech Editor
Contributing Tech Editor

Chris Jarrard likes playing games, crankin' tunes, and looking for fights on obscure online message boards. He understands that breakfast food is the only true food. Don't @ him.

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