SPACEX NAMES TWO NEW RECOVERY SHIPS AFTER NASA ASTRONAUTS
Words by Amy Thompson The two newest members of SpaceX’s recovery fleet sailed into Port Canaveral in September. The ships are named after Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, the two NASA astronauts who were the first to fly inside a Crew Dragon. Their mission, known as Demo-2, was the final test flight of SpaceX’s Commercial Crew Program, which blasted off from Kennedy Space Center on 30 May 2020. Its success cleared the way for routine astronaut flights to and from the ISS.
SpaceX has a fleet of recovery ships, each with its own purpose – from catching first-stage boosters to retrieving falling fairings. ‘Bob’ and ‘Doug’ will be a bit of both. The two multipurpose recovery ships are designed to handle a variety of tasks. ‘Bob’ and ‘Doug’ are former platform supply ships, which are designed to serve offshore platforms. SpaceX made modifications, including outfitting them with a large crane that can pull fairing pieces out the water. The new ships will also be able to help tow the drone ships out to sea, and will enable SpaceX to streamline its recovery efforts.