| Crew DragonEndeavour | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Endeavour at Cape Canaveral in April 2020 | |
| Type | Space capsule |
| Class | Dragon 2 |
| Eponym | Space Shuttle Endeavour |
| Serialno. | C206 |
| Owner | SpaceX |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Specifications | |
| Dimensions | 4.4 m × 3.7 m (14 ft × 12 ft) |
| Power | Solar panel |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
| History | |
| Location | International Space Station |
| First flight |
|
| Last flight |
|
| Flights | 6 |
| Flight time | 806 days, 22 hours, 48 minutes (currently in space) |
| Dragon 2s | |
← C205 | |
Crew DragonEndeavour (serial number C206) is the first operationalCrew Dragon reusable spacecraft manufactured and operated bySpaceX. The spacecraft is named afterSpace Shuttle Endeavour. It first launched on 30 May 2020 to theInternational Space Station (ISS) on theCrew Dragon Demo-2 mission. It has subsequently been used for theSpaceX Crew-2 mission that launched in April 2021, the privateAxiom Mission 1 that launched in April 2022, theSpaceX Crew-6 mission that launched in March 2023, and theSpaceX Crew-8 mission from early March 2024 to late October 2024. As of November 2024[update],Endeavour holds the single-mission record for the most time in orbit by an American crewed spacecraft at 235 days and is currently on its six flight aboardSpaceX Crew-11 that launched in August 2025.
After the success ofCrew Dragon Demo-1 usingCrew Dragon C204, that spacecraft was originally planned to be used for theCrew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test. However, on 20 April 2019, Crew Dragon C204 was destroyed in an explosion during static fire testing at theLanding Zone 1 facility.[1] On the day of the anomaly, the initial testing of the Crew Dragon'sDraco thrusters was successful, with the explosion occurring during the test of theSuperDraco abort system.[2]
Crew Dragon C205, then slated to be used for the Demo-2 mission, was subsequently used for the in-flight abort test.[3] Crew Dragon C206Endeavour, then, was assigned to the Demo-2 mission, replacing Crew Dragon C205.[3] According to SpaceX,Endeavour underwent electromagnetic interference testing and completed acoustic testing in February 2020.[4][5] On 13 February 2020, the spacecraft was in SpaceX's processing facility atCape Canaveral Space Force Station,Florida to undergo final processing and testing in preparation for the Demo-2 launch.[6]
On 17 April 2020, NASA announced the Demo-2 launch date was scheduled for no-earlier-than 27 May 2020.[7] NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), on 23 April 2024, gave its approval for the late May launch saying it was feasible and safe.[8]Endeavour was transported to theKennedy Space Center, arriving at SpaceX's horizontal integration facility (HIF) atLaunch Complex 39A on 15 May 2020.[9] The spacecraft was then mated to aFalcon 9 rocket and was rolled out onto the launch pad on 21 May 2020, with a static fire test completed the next day.[10]
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AstronautsBob Behnken andDoug Hurley were selected by NASA as the Demo-2 mission crew on 3 August 2018.[11] Their mission validated crewed spaceflight operations using SpaceX hardware, including the Dragon spacecraft, theFalcon 9 rocket.[12] SpaceX scrubbed Demo-2's first launch attempt because of weather conditions. The Demo-2 mission successfully launched on 30 May 2020.[13][14] Hurley and Behnken's launch was the first to carry a crew to theInternational Space Station from the United States sinceSTS-135 in July 2011.[13]
In a video tour of the spacecraft, shortly after the launch, Behnken and Hurley revealed they named the capsuleEndeavour after theSpace Shuttle Endeavour.[15] They both flew their first space missions on Space ShuttleEndeavour, on missionsSTS-123 andSTS-127, respectively.[16] Additionally, each crew member brought along a toy from their family, in this case anApatosaurus dinosaur named "Tremor", a sequined plush dinosaur toy, and aTy flippables plush toy, continuing the tradition for astronauts to bring a plush toy or trinket aboard their spacecraft to serve as a zero-gravity indicator when weightlessness kicks in during spaceflight.[15]
Spending 19 hours in orbit approaching the ISS, Hurley demonstrated the ability to pilot the spacecraft via its touchscreen controls; upon reaching a distance of 220 metres (720 ft) from the ISS docking ports, he let the automated docking program take over.Endeavour docked with the ISS on 31 May 2020.[17][18][19] Hurley and Behnken joined the ISSExpedition 63 crew, which consisted of NASA astronautChris Cassidy and Russian cosmonautsIvan Vagner andAnatoli Ivanishin.[20] Behnken and Hurley launched to the ISS for an indeterminate time frame, which depended onEndeavour's solar array degradation, the status ofCrew Dragon Resilience, and landing zone weather.[21]
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NASA originally planned Demo-2 as a short test flight lasting about two weeks, but later chose to extend the mission to address the shortfall of crew in the ISS.[22] According toKen Bowersox, acting administrator for NASA's human spaceflight program, the spacecraft was "doing very well" and NASA re-planned to bring the crew andEndeavour home in early August.[21]
WhenEndeavour returned on 2 August 2020, it journeyed through a fast fiery descent of Earth's atmosphere and was slowed down by the capsule's drogue chute and suite of parachutes.[23] It splashed down in theGulf of Mexico, nearPensacola, Florida, where a SpaceX recovery ship Go Navigator brought the crew and spacecraft back to shore.[23] This mission was the first ocean-based recovery of an American crewed spacecraft since 1975, when theApollo-Soyuz Test Project mission splashed down.[24] Also, this mission was the first crew recovery to occur in the Gulf of Mexico.[25]
On the Demo-2 mission,Endeavour was in space for 63 days. The spacecraft was rated to spend 119 days in orbit, as its solar panels had less capability than a full production Crew Dragon capable of staying in space for up to 210 days.[26]
During the mission, NASA gave SpaceX approval to reuse flight-proven Crew Dragon spacecraft.[27] Behnken and Hurley left a Demo-2 patch on the inside ofEndeavour after their mission.[28]SpaceX Crew-2 mission commander, astronautShane Kimbrough, announced that the crew would keep theEndeavour name for the spacecraft.[29] The seat Behnken used during his mission was later used by his wife,K. Megan McArthur on the Crew-2 flight.[30]
Endeavour's fourth operational mission wasSpaceX Crew-8.[31] It launched on 3 March 2024 (local time) and returned to Earth on 25 October 2024.[32] One of the crew members, mission specialistJeanette Epps, became the second African-American woman to be part of a long-duration mission onboard the ISS.[33] The mission spent extra time in space due to an unexpected need to supportBoeing Crew Flight Test mission astronautsSunita Williams andButch Wilmore after problems with their spacecraft.[32][34] Weather in the landing zones, includingHurricane Milton, then caused further delays, but the crew finally splashed down off of the coast ofPensacola, Florida on 25 October 2024.[35]Endeavour now holds the single-mission record for the most time in orbit by an American human-rated spacecraft at 235 days and the overall cumulative total time record at 701 days in space.[36]
List includes only completed or currently manifested missions. Dates are listed inCoordinated Universal Time (UTC). For future events, they are listed as the earliest possible opportunities – which is also known as no-earlier-than (NET) dates – and may change.
| Flight No. | Mission andPatch | Launch | Landing | Duration | Remarks | Crew | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demo-2 | 30 May 2020, 19:22:45 | 2 August 2020 18:48:06 | 63 days, 23 hours, 25 minutes | First crewed flight test of Dragon 2. The mission was extended from two weeks to nine, to allow the crew to bolster activity on the ISS ahead ofCrew-1.[37] | Success | |
| 2 | Crew-2 | 23 April 2021, 09:49:02 | 9 November 2021, 03:33:15 | 199 days, 17 hours, 44 minutes | First reuse of a crewed space capsule and first reuse of a Falcon 9 booster. Long-duration mission. Ferried fourExpedition 65/66 crew members to the ISS.[38] | Success | |
| 3 | Axiom-1 (patch) | 8 April 2022, 15:17:12 | 25 April 2022, 17:06:23 | 17 days, 1 hour, 49 minutes | First fully private flight to the ISS. Contracted byAxiom Space. Axiom employee served as commander with three paying tourists.[39] | Success | |
| 4 | Crew-6 | 2 March 2023, 05:34:14 | 4 September 2023, 04:17:23 | 185 days, 22 hours, 43 minutes | Long-duration mission. Ferried fourExpedition 68/69 crew members to the ISS.[40] | Success | |
| 5 | Crew-8 | 4 March 2024, 3:53:38 | 25 October 2024, 07:29:02 | 235 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes | Longest Crew Dragon mission to date. Ferried fourExpedition 70/71/72 crew members to the ISS. ISS stay extended and two makeshift seats added to allow spacecraft to serve as "lifeboat" forBoeing CFT crew if needed.[32] | Success | |
| 6 | Crew-11 [41] | 1 August 2025, 15:43:42[42] | April 2026 (planned) | 105 days, 1 hour and 32 minutes(in progress) | Long-duration mission. Expected to ferry fourExpedition 73/74 crew members to the ISS. Fastest Crew Dragon rendezvous to date. | In progress |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Right now, we think, we will fly probably the capsule 206, which is the fleet leader that will be on the sixth flight and we'll continue to work that with SpaceX.
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