GO_Searcher

<i>Megan</i> (ship)

Megan (ship)

SpaceX Dragon Recovery Vessel


Megan, formerly called GO Searcher is a SpaceX Dragon recovery vessel.[2] It is one of the offshore supply ships operated by Guice Offshore.[3] The other identical ship is Shannon.[4]

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History

Megan is the primary recovery vessel for the SpaceX Dragon/SpaceX Dragon 2 after the splashdown. Immediately after splashdown, fast small boats are launched to connect the capsule to the vessel, and the capsule is lifted on board with the large lifting frame installed on the stern. The astronauts can then exit the capsule. NASA has a requirement that this is completed within 60 minutes of splashdown. Facilities onboard include a helipad, a medical treatment unit, and extensive radar communication equipment.[2][5]

Between April and May 2019, GO Searcher was temporarily reassigned with GO Navigator to fairing recovery operations for the ArabSat-6A, and Starlink 0.9 missions.

On August 2, 2020, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley returned to Earth, landing in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. GO Searcher's sister ship, GO Navigator, pulled the capsule onto her aft, in which Behnken and Hurley exited the capsule.[6]

On September 18, 2021, GO Searcher served as the recovery vessel for the Inspiration4 mission, recovering its all-civilian crew from the Atlantic Ocean.[7]

In early 2022, the vessel was renamed Megan after SpaceX Crew-2 astronaut, Megan McArthur along with GO Navigator being renamed Shannon after SpaceX Crew-1 astronaut, Shannon Walker. They are registered to Falcon Landing LLC, a SpaceX-linked company that also owns recovery ships Bob and Doug and Elon Musk's private jet.

List of recovery missions

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Incidents


References

  1. "Advanced Masterdata for the Vessel Go Searcher". VesselTracker. 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  2. "GO Searcher". SpaceXFleet. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  3. "GO SEARCHER Offshore Support Vessel". intelligence.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  4. "Crew Dragon Recovery". SpaceXFleet. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  5. "Go Searcher – Commercial Crew Program". blogs.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  6. Chang, Kenneth (2020-08-02). "'Thanks for Flying SpaceX': NASA Astronauts Safely Splash Down After Journey From Orbit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  7. Thompson, Amy (2020-05-10). "SpaceX recovery team rescues stranded boater during ocean recovery drills". TESLARATI. Retrieved 2020-06-01.

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