SpaceX will stop production of the new Crew Dragon vehicle after it finishes manufacturing its fourth and final capsule, according to an engadged report cited by Archyde.com.
After the news was confirmed, Elon Musk’s private space company told the outlet that it will continue to produce components for the spacecraft and that it will retain the ability to manufacture additional Crew Dragon capsules should something arise.
Due to the reusable nature of the Crew Dragon, it was always assumed that SpaceX would produce a limited number of spacecraft, but before today it was not known how many capsules the company plans to make before moving on to other projects.
Since its first manned flight in 2020, the Crew Dragon has flown five crews into space, including the first-ever civilian crew at the end of last year, as part of the ongoing Commercial Crew program, and NASA plans to use a Space X capsule to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. Across six separate missions, but recently said it would use the vehicle for up to three more flights due to associated delays with Boeing’s Starliner.
The end of Crew Dragon manufacturing comes as SpaceX looks to acquire the next generation of heavy-duty, reusable rocket spacecraft that are certified and operational.
The spacecraft is a key part of all SpaceX’s plans that include the Moon and Mars, with little delay, and Elon Musk recently said the company hopes to conduct the first orbital test of the Starship in May.