Megan, one ofSpaceX’s two recovery ships, is pictured in theAtlantic Ocean off theFlorida coast while awaiting the splashdown of the company’sCrew Dragon spacecraft.
History
United States
Name	Megan (2022–present) GO Searcher (2014–2022) Harvey Otter (2013) Callais Searcher (2010–2013)
Namesake	Megan McArthur
Owner	Falcon Landing LLC (2022–present) Guice Offshore (2014–2022) Harvey Gulf International Marine (2013) Abdon Callais Offshore (2010–2013)
Operator	SpaceX (2016–present) Guice Offshore (2014–2022) Harvey Gulf International Marine (2013) Abdon Callais Offshore (2010–2013)
Port of registry	Port Canaveral, Florida
Builder	Master Boat Builders,Coden, Alabama
Laid down	2009
In service	September 2010
Identification	Call sign: WDH3015 IMO number: 9591648 MMSI number:366584000
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class and type	Space capsule recovery vessel Platform supply vessel
Tonnage	497 GT 576 DWT
Length	51 m (167 ft 4 in)
Beam	12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draught	3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Depth	3.7 m (12 ft)
Decks	1
Installed power	1,750 hp (1,300 kW)
Propulsion	2 ×Caterpillar 3508B
Speed	22 kn (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Capacity	32
Crew	6
Notes	[1]

MVMegan, formerly known asMVGO Searcher, is one ofSpaceX's twoDragon capsule recovery vessels. Owned by SpaceX through Falcon Landing LLC (which also owns SpaceX'sfairing recovery vessels andElon Musk's private jet), this vessel, along with its sister ship,MV Shannon, are convertedplatform supply vessels now equipped to retrieve Crew and Cargo Dragon capsules aftersplashdown.

When a Dragon capsule is preparing to return to Earth,Megan orShannon are dispatched to wait near the predetermined landing zone. After splashdown,fast boats deployed from the vessel, approach the capsule to perform safety checks, check on the crew, and prepare it to be lifted aboard the recovery vessel, where the astronauts can exit the capsule. NASA requires SpaceX to allow the astronauts to exit within 60 minutes of splashdown.

To support its mission, the vessel is equipped with a specializedcrane on thestern to pull the capsule up from the water, a medical unit to treat astronauts, and ahelipad to allow astronauts and any time-sensitive cargo materials returned from space to be quickly returned to shore.

Megan was built by Master Boat Builders ofCoden, Alabama as anoffshore supply vessel, a ship specially designed to supply offshore oil and gas platforms and other offshore installations. Thekeel laying for the vessel took place in 2009 and was launched in 2010.

The vessel was purchased new by Abdon Callais Offshore and named MVCALLAIS Searcher. As Abdon Callais Offshore's parent company exited the marine transportation business, it sold the vessel to Harvey Gulf International Marine, which renamed it MVHARVEY Otter. The vessel was sold to Guice Offshore (GO) in 2014, which renamed it MVGO Searcher.^[2]

SpaceX had previously retrieved its cargo-onlyDragon 1 capsules with a similar offshore supply vessel but needed additional capabilities as it prepared for crewed and cargo launches with theDragon 2. It contracted with Guice Offshore to modify two offshore supply vessels with a capsule lifting frame (a specialized crane), a medical treatment unit, a helipad, and extensive technology upgrades.^[3][4]

GO Searcher was first used on 8 March 2019 to recover the Dragon used for the uncrewed Demo-1 mission. The vessel was also used for an August 2019 rehearsal of Crew Dragon crew extraction with the astronauts that would fly on the Demo-2 mission.^[4] However, its sister vessel, MVGO Navigator (later renamedShannon) was used to retrieve the astronauts after the Demo-2 flight.^[5]

Between April 2019 and June 2021,GO Searcher was used in support of nine missions of theSpaceX fairing recovery program. The vessel can accommodate a single Falcon 9 fairing half in the Dragon egress area. On 19 January 2020, the vessel was used to recover the Crew Dragon capsule after theIn-Flight Abort Test.

GO Searcher first recovered a crew from a Dragon capsule on 18 September 2021 when it retrieved Crew Dragon Resilience after itsInspiration4 mission, the first orbital spaceflight with only private citizens aboard. Since that time, it has only been used for recovering Crew Dragon or Cargo Dragon capsules.^[6]

In early 2022, GO Searcher was renamed Megan in honor of Megan McArthur, the second female NASA astronaut to fly on a SpaceX Dragon capsule.

• According toUnited States Coast Guard, on 9 May 2020, while practicing recovering theSpaceX Dragon 2 capsule,GO Searcher's crew pulled a man from theAtlantic Ocean.^[7][8]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toIMO 9591648.

• Ships built in the United States
• Ships built in Alabama
• SpaceX Dragon 2
• Space capsule recovery ships

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from June 2024
• IMO numbers
• MMSI Number
• Commons category link from Wikidata