The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour, with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley inside, is seen aboard SpaceX’s Shannon recovery ship shortly after splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, on Aug. 2, 2020.
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History | |
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United States | |
Name |
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Namesake | Shannon Walker |
Owner |
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Operator |
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Port of registry | Port Canaveral, Florida |
Builder | Master Boat Builders, Coden, Alabama |
Launched | 2009 |
Completed | 2010 |
In service | 2010 |
Identification |
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Status | In service |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Platform supply vessel |
Tonnage | |
Length | 49.85 m (163 ft 7 in) |
Beam | 11 m (36 ft) |
Draught | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
Depth | 3.7 m (12 ft) |
Decks | 1 |
Installed power | 1,750 hp (1,300 kW) |
Propulsion | 2 × Caterpillar 3508B |
Speed | 22 kn (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
Capacity | 20 |
Crew | 6 |
Notes | [1][2] |
MV Shannon, formerly known as MV GO Navigator, is one of SpaceX's two Dragon capsule recovery vessels. Owned by SpaceX through Falcon Landing LLC (which also owns SpaceX's faring recovery vessels and Elon Musk's private jet), this vessel, along with its sister ship, MV Megan, is designed to retrieve Crew and Cargo Dragon capsules after splashdown.
When a Dragon capsule is preparing to return to Earth, Shannon or Megan are dispatched to wait near the predetermined landing zone. After splashdown, fast boats deployed from the vessel, approach the capsule to perform safety checks, check on the crew, and prepare it to be lifted aboard the recovery vessel, where the astronauts can exit the capsule. NASA requires SpaceX to allow the astronauts to exit within 60 minutes of splashdown.
To support its mission, the vessel is equipped with a specialized crane on the stern to pull the capsule up from the water, a medical unit to treat astronauts, and a helipad to allow astronauts and any time-sensitive cargo materials returned from space to be quickly returned to shore.