Frequently Asked Questions
Could SpaceX send a Dragon to the Moon?
The Dragon could easily be sent to lunar orbit, but would not be able to land. The Falcon Heavy can throw about 16,000 kilograms (when configured to be expendable) on a trans-lunar injection orbit, so it can send a Dragon 2 capsule to the moon with quite a lot of margin. However, in order to land on a surface you need to slow down from orbital velocity, which requires you to change your velocity by a certain amount (which is called your ∆V, literally "change in velocity"). Dragon 2 carries only a small amount of propellant and can only deliver a small amount of ∆V because of that. The exact amount is less than 500m/s, which doesn't come close to the ~1870 m/s needed to land on the moon. It may be possible to do it with two FH launches but that would require additional technology development.
What is Red Dragon?
Red Dragon is a proposed NASA/SETI Institute mission to send a modified Dragon capsule atop a Falcon Heavy to the Martian surface. The mission would be an unmanned scientific lander, and the heaviest object ever to be placed on Mars - it alone could carry an additional 2 metric tons of cargo and equipment down to the surface. There have been no official announcements about the mission from SpaceX as the mission design architecture is not managed by them, and there is currently no indication that the project will be funded.
Will the Dragon be used for a manned mission to Mars?
No. Dragon is too cramped, and would need significant improvements in the life support system to last throughout the long journey. Elon Musk himself has stated that Dragon 2 can support seven astronauts for "several days".
Why does the dragon "berth" to the ISS instead of dock?
The current version of Dragon physically cannot dock, and can only berth. This is because it has a Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) port, and not a NASA Docking System (NDS) port. The advantage of the CBM is that it's 50 inch (1270 mm) in diameter, whereas the NDS is only a 800 mm (31.5 inches) wide. The disadvatage of berthing is that it's a tedious process whereby astronauts carefully maneuver the capsule into place using Canadarm, and then physically bolt the CBM ports together. To unberth, the reverse must occur. Docking by contrast is autonomous, and much faster in both directions.