SpaceX Presents Its Dragon V2 Reusable Spacecraft

SpaceX, the private space flight company, unveiled its new spacecraft, the Dragon V2 on May 29th, 2014. In a press conference, Elon Musk, the company's founder, announced that the Dragon V2 will be a manned, reusable vehicle, capable of landing anywhere on Earth, after its return from space.

SpaceX made history in 2012 when its Dragon 1 became the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and then return safely to Earth. Since then, Dragon has flown many successful unmanned, automated resupply missions. However, the Dragon spacecraft was always intended to be used to carry humans into space.

Enter the Dragon V2. The spacecraft will lift off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It can seat up to a seven member crew. After docking with the International Space Station, the Dragon V2 is capable of making a safe, controlled landing back on earth by means of eight SuperDraco rocket engines. These engines are placed in four pairs mounted around the sides of the spacecraft.

The SuperDraco engines are capable of producing 16,000 pounds of thrust and should enable the Dragon V2 to land via its landing struts, just like a helicopter. There's also a back up parachute in case of engine or other malfunctions. The spacecraft can then be refueled and readied for flight right away. It is capable of being reused up to 10 times before it needs serious servicing.

SpaceX, Boeing Co, and Sierra Crop all have received about $1 billion from NASA to develop a replacement for the retired space shuttle. Currently, NASA pays the Russians $70 million a seat on a Soyuz capsule. SpaceX expects the Dragon V2 to bring that price down to $20 million a seat. Flights could become even cheaper if the rate of flights increases.

On March 17th 2014, NASA announced that the first test flight of its Orion spacecraft will be moved back from a September/October launch to a mid December launch. Orion is NASA's own multipurpose spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin. The Orion is intended for future missions to the Moon, the asteroids, Mars, and beyond.