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![Dragon preps in the hangar]()
In the SpaceX hangar at Cape Canaveral, the Dragon spacecraft prepares for integration with the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Visible at the base of the spacecraft is Dragon's heat shield, made of "PICA-X," the SpaceX manufactured variation on NASA's heat shield material. Dragon will reenter the Earth's atmosphere at around 15,660 miles per hour, heating the exterior to 1,850 degrees Celsius. Just a few inches of PICA-X should keep the spacecraft safe.![falcon 9 dragon cargo liftoff]()
A Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Dragon spaceship into outer space.![The Dragon]()
The Dragon rocket is designed to separate from the Falcon 9 rocket that has taken it into space, as shown in this illustration.![The Dragon]()
The Dragon spacecraft (capsule and cargo trunk) with solar panels deployed.![The Dragon]()
The Dragon approaches the International Space Station, in this artist's rendering.![The Dragon]()
Dragon finds a berth at the International Space Station in this artist's depiction.![dragon parachutes]()
The Dragon spacecraft parachutes to a safe landing in this artist's illustration.![The Dragon]()
A qualification unit of The Dragon sits at SpaceX's Hawthorne facility.![dragon space capsule closeup]()
SpaceX's first privately built Dragon space capsule is shown mounted to a fixture in a hangar at Cape Canaveral, Fla., during launch preparations for its maiden test flight.Meet the next-generation Dragon spaceship
Private firm SpaceX hopes its Dragon craft -- launched into space on a thunderous Falcon 9 rocket -- will transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station in the near future. Here's how it will work.
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- Meet the next-generation Dragon spaceship
