SpaceX Dragon MK 2 Being Unveiled May 29
The SpaceX Dragon MK 2 is coming, and will be unveiled in full next week. Via Twitter, SpaceX guru Elon Musk confirmed May 29 would be the day we get our first look at their new craft. Though he was light on details of the new craft, there are suggestions it will be a massive improvement over the original.
The first Dragon carried nearly 1,000 pounds of cargo to the ISS in 2012, a first for a private entity. The new Dragon is expected to ferry humans as well as cargo, which Musk hinted at previously. In a press conference last year, Musk noted the Dragon MK 2 would look a lot more like an "alien" spacecraft than the ships we're used to seeing.
Cover drops on May 29. Actual flight design hardware of crew Dragon, not a mockup.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2014
The new Dragon is expected to have larger windows for Astronauts to get a good view of their surroundings, and have the ability to land on — well, land. Pop-out legs are expected to give it a very Roddenberry look and feel, but the final design isn't yet known to the public.
There's no word on when it will launch, though. Musk has said it will be behind schedule a bit, but hopes to have the Dragon MK 2 in orbit later this year.