It’s a gutsy gambit by SpaceX, the only U.S. company capable of regularly launching crews to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Next, they are going to decommission their Dragon spacecraft as soon as practical. This decision comes on the heels of Elon Musk’s recent statement regarding the future of crewed space transport and follows a turbulent test flight of SpaceX’s Starship, which experienced significant issues last week.
Since its first crew launch for NASA in 2020, SpaceX has fundamentally changed the nature of space travel. The company has played a major role in reducing NASA’s dependence on Russian transports. The company’s four-person Dragon capsules have been central to the company’s efforts to carry astronauts and supplies to the ISS. With an average of four crew members per launch. At the same time, the cargo variant of the Dragon capsule carries indispensable stuff such as food and equipment to the laboratory orbiting above us.
SpaceX has space on the mind, having recently been awarded a NASA contract. Additionally, they will be involved in safely bringing the ISS out of orbit when no longer operational. This contract is further evidence of the critical role SpaceX can and should be playing in U.S. space operations. It further highlights SpaceX’s reliability and importance as a critical partner for NASA.
With the decommissioning of the Dragon spacecraft, SpaceX plans to shift its priorities to other projects. The firm has won a contract from Axiom Space for a launch as soon as next week. This offers a glimmer of hope that despite retiring the Dragon capsules, SpaceX is still committed to its space exploration endeavors.
Russia continues to depend on its Soyuz capsules to fly crews. These crew capsules are designed to transport three astronauts per trip. In each launch’s case, a crew of two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut. Under this barter agreement, each SpaceX launch will include one Russian cosmonaut. This structure maintains a very deep collaborative bond between U.S. and Russian space agencies.
Elon Musk, on the day the Dragon spacecraft was decommissioned. This report follows closely on the heels of SpaceX’s difficulties during the ninth test flight of the Starship. The spacecraft tumbled out of control and broke apart shortly after launch from Texas, raising questions about the future direction of SpaceX’s ambitions.
Even with these obstacles, SpaceX still remains the leader in space transportation today. The ongoing collaboration with NASA, coupled with contracts from private entities such as Axiom Space, suggests that SpaceX will remain a significant player in crewed space missions moving forward.
