SCIENCE
Cosmic cab
This is the future of manned
spaceflight: SpaceX’s Dragon
V2. The vessel acts like a space
taxi and will be used to deliver
up to seven astronauts to the
International Space Station,
and Mars if SpaceX’s CEO Elon
Musk’s plans come off. The
plush interior was shown off
in May, with a launchpad test
due next month.
Dragon V2 will ride to space
on a SpaceX rocket, but can
then touch down almost
anywhere on the planet with
thrust from its eight boosters. It
can land with the precision of a
helicopter before being
refuelled for another journey.
This sets it apart from other
crewed vehicles like Russia’s
Soyuz, which relies on a
parachute to bring it down.
“You can just reload and fly
again,” says Musk. “This is
extremely important for
revolutionising access to space
because as long as we
continue to throw away rockets
and spacecraft, we will never
truly have access to space.”PHOTO: SPACEX