The SpaceX Dragon is a pressurized cargo spacecraft designed to deliver cargo to and return cargo from low earth orbit. In 2012, Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station (ISS). Dragon is commissioned by NASA for 12 cargo missions to the ISS, and has completed 4 of these as of November 2014. Dragon berths to the American Unity module with the assistance of the Canadian Space Agency’s Canadarm 2. This 1 : 50 scale model of Dragon and the Unity module shows the berthing of these two spacecraft as they orbit Earth. The capsule and Unity module are printed out of ABS plastic, the trunk is printed in PLA, and the solar arrays are laser-cut acrylic. All components of this model were modeled in SolidWorks. Realistic details on the Dragon such as chute lines and hatches were created using wraps on the curved surfaces of the capsule. Video: SpaceX dragon berthing to the Unity module of the International Space Station.
