| Crew Dragon Freedom | |
| Type: | Space capsule |
| Class: | Dragon 2 |
| Eponym: | Freedom 7 |
| Serial: | C212[1] |
| Owner: | SpaceX |
| Manufacturer: | SpaceX |
| Dimensions: | 4.4mx3.7mm (14.4feetx12.1feetm) |
| Power: | Solar panel |
| Rocket: | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
| Location: | International Space Station |
| First Flight Date: | 27 April–14 October 2022 |
| First Flight: | Crew-4 |
| Last Flight Date: | 28 September 2024–present |
| Last Flight: | Crew9 |
| Flights: | 4 |
| Previous: | C211 |
| Next: | C213 |
Crew Dragon Freedom (serial number C212) is the fourth operational Crew Dragon reusable spacecraft manufactured and operated by SpaceX. It first launched on 27 April 2022 to the International Space Station (ISS) on the SpaceX Crew-4 mission. It was subsequently used for two private spaceflight missions to the ISS operated by Axiom Space, Axiom Mission 2 in May 2023 and Axiom Mission 3 in January 2024. It most recently launched to space in September 2024 on the SpaceX Crew-9 mission. The capsule was named after the fundamental human right of freedom and the Freedom 7 capsule that took astronaut Alan Shepard on the first human spaceflight from the United States.
On 23 March 2022, it was announced that Dragon C212 had been given the name Freedom. Astronaut Kjell Lindgren said that the name was chosen because it celebrates a fundamental human right, and the industry and innovation that emanate from the unencumbered human spirit.[2] The name also honors Freedom 7, the space capsule used by Alan Shepard's Mercury Redstone 3, the first United States human spaceflight mission (May 5, 1961).[3] [4]
On 16 April 2022, Freedom was transported from SpaceX's processing facility in Cape Canaveral to Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.[5] Freedom
List includes only completed or currently manifested missions. Dates are listed in UTC, and for future events, they are the earliest possible opportunities (also known as dates) and may change.
| Flight No. | Mission and Patch | Launch | Landing | Duration | Remarks | Crew | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 April 2022, 07:52:55 | 14 October 2022, 20:55:03 | Long duration mission. Ferried four members of the Expedition 67/68 crew to the ISS. | |||||
| 2 | Axiom Mission 2 (patch) | 21 May 2023, 21:37:09 | 31 May 2023, 03:04:24 | Fully private flight to the ISS. Contracted by Axiom Space. Axiom employee served as commander, Saudi Space Agency bought two seats and sent two astronauts to research cancer, cloud seeding, and microgravity.[9] Third seat purchased by a tourist. | ||||
| 3 | Axiom Mission 3 (patch) | 18 January 2024 21:49:11 | 9 February 2024 13:30 | Fully private flight to the ISS. Axiom employee served as commander, other seats purchased by AM, TUA and SNSA/ESA. | ||||
| 4 | 28 September 2024 17:17:21 | February 2025 | Long-duration mission. Was the first crewed mission to launch from SLC-40.[10] Launch was delayed and will ferry two crew members of the Expedition 72 crew to the ISS and will return them along with the crew from the Boeing Crew Flight Test because of issues with the .[11] |