Reuters reported the SpaceX starship news that confirmed the company’s decision to stop manufacturing the Crew Dragon craft after the completion of manufacturing the fourth capsule. However, The Company confirmed that it would continue manufacturing components for the spacecraft and even use its capacity in the future should the need arise. The discontinuance of the Space X Crew Dragon is temporary, and the company is ready to resume manufacturing in the future if something comes up.
SpaceX Starship News – Latest Update
Space X, the privately owned spacecraft company, has been manufacturing Crew Dragon capsules for ferrying humans to and fro the ISS (International Spacecraft Station). Currently, the company has a fleet of four spacecraft as the last unit is under manufacturing, after which the company will stop production. The news about SpaceX ending production of crew capsule should not be surprising because the capsules that carry humans are reusable. It’s similar to an airplane in its use, and after every flight, the capsule requires refurbishing to make it ready for the next flight. The company’s plan is to re-use the fleet with four Crew Dragon capsules, which is obvious in all Space X news.
Component Manufacturing to Continue
Although the company would not manufacture complete units of the spacecraft, the production of components would continue. The components are necessary to carry out the refurbishment of the spacecraft after completing each flight. Upon the flight returning to Earth, the company undertakes a refurbishment process at its base in Florida. It is necessary to change or tweak specific hardware during the process to make the spacecraft ready for the next flight.
A Brief History of the Crew Dragon
Space X developed the Crew Dragon as part of NASA’s commercial crew program of using private spacecraft for ferrying astronauts to ISS. Until now, Crew Dragon carried four NASA astronauts to ISS. In September 2021, Space X launched its private crew of four civilian astronauts on a three-day trip orbiting the Earth.
The company has plans for more future trips of the Crew Dragon as the flights gain popularity. As of now, Space X will depend on the fleet of four Crew Dragons to maintain its space operations but stay ready to add more capsules when the need arises. Until then, the fleet consisting of four capsules named Endeavor, Endurance, Resilience, and Freedom (names given by the first astronaut crews of the spacecraft) will carry private astronauts to space.
More Private Flights
A Houston-based company named Axiom Space has a contract with Space X to send four flights to space using the Crew Dragon capsule. The first flight, Axiom-1, considered an orbital vacation, will be a 10-day trip for four astronauts to the ISS that took off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 8.
In February, Space X received an order from NASA for three more flights to carry humans to ISS using Crew Dragon capsules. According to SpaceX Starship news, Space X’s total contract with NASA stands at $3.49 billion.
