--- title: "SpaceX Says It’s Not Building Any More Crew Dragon Spacecraft" description: "Well, turns out that SpaceX's latest Crew Dragon capeule, \"Freedom,\" is probably going to be the last of the iconic spacecraft ever made. " date: "2022-03-28" modified: "2022-03-28" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-no-more-crew-dragon" categories: - "Crew Dragon" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "crew dragon" - "Gwynne Shotwell" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Says It’s Not Building Any More Crew Dragon Spacecraft ![Well, turns out that SpaceX's latest Crew Dragon capeule, "Freedom," is probably going to be the last of the iconic spacecraft ever made. ]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Sold Out Remember the heady days of last week, when SpaceX [unveiled the name]() of its latest Crew Dragon spacecraft? Well, turns out that capsule — dubbed "Freedom," by the way — is probably going to be the last of the iconic spacecraft ever made. "We are finishing our final (capsule), but we still are manufacturing components, because we'll be refurbishing," SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell [told *Reuters*](), adding that "fleet management is key." ## Limited Run That last point by Gwynne alludes to what could become a significant issue for the Elon Musk-led space outfit. With its fleet of crew-worthy Earth-orbit shuttles capped at just four, each of which can only carry four astronauts, and any one of which at any time might be docked at the International Space Station, a significant challenge now is going to be maintaining that small armada nimbly enough to [continue filling the needs of both NASA]() and a [growing number of private space tourists](). "There's lifetime cycle issues, where once you start using it the third, fourth, fifth time, you start finding different things," retired NASA astronaut and former SpaceX executive Garrett Reisman, who's still a consultant for the company, told *Reuters* of the decision not to make any more Crew Dragon modules. "SpaceX is really good about identifying these issues quickly and then acting quickly to fix them. The other takeaway, according to *Reuters*? It's yet another sign that SpaceX's leadership is stepping up pressure on the company to deliver on its wildly ambitious Starship spacecraft, a much more full-featured space travel vehicle that Musk anticipates sending large numbers of people to Earth's orbit, the Moon, and even beyond to Mars. **More on SpaceX:** [*Elon Musk: SpaceX Can Launch Satellites Faster Than Russia Can Shoot Them Down*]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()