What is SpaceX’s Crew Dragon? Learn about the spacecraft bringing Sunita Williams back to Earth

SpaceX created Crew Dragon as part of NASA's initiative to transfer space station missions to U.S. companies following the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. Here's an overview of its features.

Image credit: Freepik

Last week, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who have been stationed at the International Space Station (ISS), will return to Earth in February 2025 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon flight.

Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS aboard Boeing's Starliner in June, with plans to return within a week. However, technical issues prevented the spacecraft from beginning its return trip to Earth. NASA has now decided that Starliner will return without a crew to avoid exposing the astronauts to unnecessary risks.

NASA and SpaceX are currently addressing several tasks in preparation for the Crew Dragon launch. This includes reconfiguring the seats and modifying the manifest to accommodate additional cargo. Here's an overview of Crew Dragon and its features.

What is Crew Dragon?

Crew Dragon is one of two versions of SpaceX's Dragon 2 spacecraft, which is partially reusable. The other version is Cargo Dragon. As the names imply, Crew Dragon is mainly used to transport astronauts to the ISS, while Cargo Dragon is responsible for delivering supplies to the space station.

SpaceX designed Crew Dragon as part of NASA's strategy to transfer space station missions to American companies following the retirement of its space shuttle in 2011. Crew Dragon's inaugural mission to the ISS occurred in 2020, carrying four American and Japanese astronauts. Since then, the spacecraft has completed eight crew rotation missions to the space station for NASA.

What are the features of Crew Dragon?

Crew Dragon is composed of two components: a reusable space capsule and an expandable trunk module.

According to reports, the capsule is fitted with 16 Draco thrusters that allow it to maneuver in orbit, with each thruster generating 90 pounds of force in the vacuum of space. The report also mentioned that the trunk includes solar panels, heat-removal radiators, cargo space, and fins that provide stability during emergency aborts.

The spacecraft is launched into space using a Falcon 9, which is a reusable, two-stage rocket developed by SpaceX, and it automatically docks with the ISS.