The SpaceX Dragon

The SpaceX Dragon is a proposed conventional blunt-cone ballistic capsule spacecraft, capable of carrying seven people or a mixture of personnel and cargo, to and from low Earth orbit that will be launched atop a Falcon 9 vehicle. SpaceX has built a full-sized prototype of the vehicle and "thoroughly tested" its life support system.

The nosecone of the vehicle has a hinged cap which opens to reveal a standard ISS Common Berthing Mechanism, which allows the Dragon to dock to the US segment of the ISS. The capsule is being developed by SpaceX, a space transportation startup company run by CEOElon Musk, a founder of PayPal, has stated that he plans to have the capsule enter service by 2009.

Posted by Casey Kazan.