Cargo Dragon

Spacecraft· SpaceXactive

SpaceX's uncrewed cargo spacecraft, resupplying the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contracts since 2012 — the first commercial vehicle to berth with the ISS.

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Key facts

Distance from Sun

1.01 AU

Status

Active

Launched

2012

Mission & specifications

Mission

Operator: SpaceX
Launched: October 8, 2012
Status: Active

Trajectory

Distance from the Sun: 1.01 AU
Distance from Earth: 367,218 km
Distance from Venus: 0.646 AU

Mission

Cargo Dragon is the SpaceX capsule that keeps the International Space Station supplied — and the spacecraft that opened the era of commercial spaceflight. In May 2012 the first Dragon became the first privately built vehicle ever to visit the ISS, a demonstration flight under NASA's programme to hand routine cargo delivery to private companies. The first operational resupply mission, CRS-1, followed on 8 October 2012, and Dragon has been a workhorse ever since. What sets it apart from every other cargo ship is that it comes home: where Russia's Progress, Europe's ATV and Japan's HTV all burn up on re-entry, Dragon survives a parachute splashdown in the ocean and returns experiments, samples and hardware to scientists on the ground — for years the only craft able to bring meaningful cargo back from the station. Each capsule carries several tonnes of food, equipment and research in its pressurised cabin and unpressurised trunk, berthing or docking with the ISS for a month or more before departing. The original Dragon flew twenty missions through 2020, when an upgraded, autonomously docking Cargo Dragon 2 — a freight version of the Crew Dragon capsule, designed to be reused several times — took over. By proving that a commercial company could safely and repeatedly service a crewed outpost, Cargo Dragon reshaped how spaceflight is bought and flown.

2012First commercial craft at the ISSMilestone
A SpaceX Dragon becomes the first privately built spacecraft to reach the Space Station.
2012CRS-1: first operational resupplyLaunch
The first contracted cargo run for NASA delivers supplies and returns cargo to Earth.
2017First reflight of a DragonMilestone
A refurbished capsule flies a second mission, beginning routine reuse of cargo ships.
2020Cargo Dragon 2 enters serviceMilestone
An upgraded, autonomously docking freighter takes over ISS resupply.

Images

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim works inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft — NASA/JSC · NASA Image Library

NASA astronaut Nichole Kim works inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft — NASA/JSC · NASA Image Library

NASA astronaut Jack Hathathe way prepares to open SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft's hatch — NASA/JSC · NASA Image Library

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft departs from the International Space Station — NASA/JSC · NASA Image Library

SpaceX CRS-23 Splashdown — SpaceX · NASA Image Library

Astronaut Suni Williams points to a sample processor that can perform space research operations — NASA/JSC · NASA Image Library

SpaceX CRS-20 Liftoff — NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Terry · NASA Image Library

SpaceX CRS-26 Liftoff, Remote Cam #6 — NASA/Kevin O'Connell & Kevin Dav · NASA Image Library

Images from open archives · credit shown per image