SpaceX Dragon Capsule has been docked from International Space Station i.e. it has been added. Four astronauts were sent to this station. Now the same vehicle will return to Earth with Sunita Williams and her partner Barry “Buch”, who was stuck in the inter -station station for 9 months. This return work will start after a few hours.

Sunita Williams and Buch Wilmore went to ISS in June 2024 with Starlineer Capsule of Boeing, but their return was not possible due to technical flaws (helium leaks and thruster problems).

Do you know how the SpaceX Capsule is, which has been sent to the International Space Station (ISS) to bring back Sunita Williams and his colleague, is a state -of -the -art spacecraft, designed and developed by the SpaceX company. It is part of the Capsule SpaceX's “Crew Dragon” spacecraft, built under the Commercial Crew Program of NASA. Its purpose is to move and bring astronauts from Earth to ISS.

Question – What is SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule?
– It has been created by the SpaceX company of Allen Musk. This is a private space company. This spacecraft is designed for human missions, which takes astronauts to ISS. The Earth safely brings them back. The crew dragon has a maximum space for 07 astronauts, although four passengers are usually transported to NASA missions. It is launched through Falcon 9 rocket, which is a re -used rocket of SpaceX.

SpaceX Capsule (Courtesy Nasa)

Question – What is the specialty of this spacex capsule?
– Crew dragon has an automatic docking system, that is, it can connect with ISS through its own system. However, manual control is also possible if needed.
Instead of traditional buttons and switches, it operates through the touch screen, which makes it modern and easy to use. It has an advanced parachute system and emergency exit system (SuperDraco engine), designed to protect astronauts during any problem. This capsule can be used again, this reduces the cost of space missions.

Question – Why is it called capsules?
– Why SpaceX crew dragon or other spacecraft are called “capsules”, the answer is hidden in the history, design and functionality of the space travel. The word “capsule” explains small, closed and protective structure in English, in spacecraft the name was due to their compact, spherical or oval design.
The crew dragon is like a small, round-round structure, with a height of about 8.1 meters (with a booster) and 4 meters width. It looks like a traditional airplane or space shuttle, a closed and strong “container”, which brings it into the category of “capsule”.

Space X Capsule (Courtesy Nasa)

Question – Why is this capsule special?
– SpaceX has successfully completed many human missions so far, which proves the credibility of the crew dragon. Crew dragon capsules of Spacex are a state -of -the -art, safe and versatile spacecraft.

Question – How does this crew of SpaceX work the automatic system of dragon capsules i.e. autonomous system?
– It has been designed in such a way that it can do most of the work automatically. Yes, astronauts can take control of this if needed.
The process of launching the crew dragon, installing in orbit, and doking with the International Space Station (ISS) is completely automated. It uses advanced sensors, computer systems and software that guides the spacecraft with accuracy. Even during the return to Earth, the process of opening a parachute and landing in the sea will be automatically.

Question – Does it require a pilot?
– Astronauts can manually operate it if needed. Although it can run on its own, astronauts involved in the mission (eg commander or pilot) monitor it as a backup and can interfere with an emergency. There is no traditional “pilot” that blows it all the time, as in the old spacecraft (such as space shuttle). Instead, astronauts play the role of “supervisor” in a way.

SpaceX Capsules Landing in the sea after returning to Earth in the previous campaign (Courtesy NASA)

Question -How long does SpaceX Capsule Crew -10 take from Earth to ISS and return?
-Crew-10 Mission's Crew Dragon Capsules were launched on 14 March 2025 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with Falcon 9 rocket. It successfully docked with ISS on 15 March 2025. It took it about 24 to 28 hours to reach ISS from launch to ISS. This time is normal, because SpaceX missions often follow a “slow and safe” randezavu process. In this, the capsule is first installed in orbit, then gradually makes its speed and position align with ISS. This time the journey of Crew-10 from Earth to Space Station was 26 hours.
The process of returning from ISS to Earth usually takes between 6 and 20 hours, depending on how soon the capsule exits the classroom and where its landing site is.

Question – How will the process of separating from ISS of SpaceX capsules and reaching the earth?
-First there will be un-dock i.e. the capsule will be different from ISS, this is a process of a few minutes. It takes about 1 hour to re -enter the Earth's atmosphere. During this time, the speed of the capsule reaches 27,000 km/h to zero. After entering the atmosphere, the parachutes open and the capsule descends into the sea. The landing process takes 30-40 minutes.

Question – How much money will it be spent by bringing astronauts back to the earth from the space station or how much will Allen Musk's company earn from it?
– When NASA takes the help of a commercial company for this, it also gives them money. Under NASA's commercial crew program, SpaceX is paid an average of $ 55 million (about Rs 46 crore) per astronaut seat. Crew-10 has four astronauts, so this cost will be $ 220 million (about Rs 183 crore).
This includes ground support, mission control (SpaceX in Hathorn, California and NASA in Houston), fuel, and other operational costs. This could be an estimated $ 20- $ 50 million (Rs 16–41 crore). SpaceX has received a total contract of $ 3.5 billion (about 2900 crores) for a crew program from NASA, which is divided into several missions.