DRAGON CAPSULES

In 2005, Space X announced plans to pursue a human-rated commercial space program through the end of the decade. The Dragon is a conventional blunt-cone ballistic capsule which is capable of carrying cargo or up to seven astronauts into orbit and beyond.

In addition to Space X's privately funded plans for an eventual Mars mission, NASA Ames Research Center had developed a concept called Red Dragon: a low-cost Mars mission that would use Falcon Heavy as the launch vehicle and trans-Martian injection vehicle, and the Dragon capsule to enter the Martian atmosphere.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Space X is actively pursuing several different research and development programs. Most notable are the programs intended to develop reusable launch vehicles, an interplanetary transport system, and a global telecommunications network.

Space X has on occasion developed new engineering development technologies to enable it to pursue its various goals. For example, at the 2015 GPU Technology Conference, Space X revealed their own computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to improve the simulation capability of evaluating rocket engine combustion design.

First test firing of a scale Raptor development engine in September 2016 in McGregor, Texas.

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