Skip to main content

Watch SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule sail through its habitability test

 

NASA has completed a habitability assessment of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule to check that it can comfortably carry more than two astronauts on future missions.

Recommended Videos

The Crew Dragon arrived at the International Space Station at the end of May carrying NASA’s Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken in a mission that marked the first crewed use of the capsule.

During the assessment, NASA’s Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin joined Hurley and Behnken inside the capsule, and together they were able to show there was still enough room to easily perform all of the necessary tasks associated with a regular mission.

The successful test means that barring any major issues, the Crew Dragon will fly four astronauts to the space station in September 2020. The capsule, which could eventually carry up to seven people, will also be used for upcoming space tourism flights.

The assessment exercise was carried out earlier this month, with NASA releasing an edited video (below) of the task on YouTube on Tuesday, July 21.

SpaceX Crew Dragon Flies Through Habitability Testing

Additional tests

As this is only the Crew Dragon’s second time in space after its debut flight in 2019 as part of a crewless test mission to the space station, Hurley and Behnken have also been tasked with carrying out a range of additional tests on the capsule to ensure that all of its features operate as they should in a space environment.

These have included confirming the safety of the capsule’s entry/exit hatch, ensuring the reliability of the waste system, and checking there’s adequate space for any necessary cargo.

NASA officials are aiming for Hurley and Behnken to depart the ISS aboard the Crew Dragon on August 1, with splashdown expected the following day, likely in the Atlantic Ocean.

For another view inside the Crew Dragon, check out the personal tour that Behnken gave on the outward journey.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
SpaceX marks 250th Starlink mission with spectacular photo
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on performing the company's 250th dedicated Starlink mission.

SpaceX has marked its 250th dedicated Starlink launch with a breathtaking photo showing its Falcon 9 rocket heading to orbit.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1916705420112261569

Read more
SpaceX powers Bandwagon-3 to orbit. Watch the highlights
SpaceX launches the Bandwagon-3 rideshare mission in April 2025.

SpaceX successfully launched the Bandwagon-3 mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Monday night.

Lifting off on time at 8:48 p.m. ET, the rocket carried with it ADD’s 425Sat-3, Tomorrow Companies Inc.’s Tomorrow-S7, and Atmos Space Cargo’s Phoenix reentry capsule.

Read more
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just set a new record
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching in April 2025.

Following a mission early on Monday, the first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket entered the record books by becoming the first one to launch and land 27 times.

The Falcon 9 launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida at midnight on Monday, April 14, in a mission that successfully deployed 27 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit.

Read more