SpaceX will no longer be making new Crew Dragons, the spacecraft that ferries astronauts to and from the International Space Station, and will instead focus on reusing the fleet of four already in existence, Reuters reported Monday.
SpaceX is planning to continue manufacturing Crew Dragon components for refurbishment and will be able to manufacture more of the astronaut capsules if needed, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell told Reuters.
Crew Dragon is SpaceX’s first crewed spacecraft, borrowing its design from the Dragon cargo capsule that’s used for resupply services to the ISS. Crew Dragon capsules have taken humans to space in five separate missions since its debut in 2020, including Inspiration4, a private crewed mission financed by billionaire Jared Isaacman.
Crew Dragon is also the only reusable vehicle used by NASA to shuttle astronauts to and from ISS. SpaceX landed the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract for six missions with th …
