Meet the next-generation Dragon spaceship

In the SpaceX hangar at Cape Canaveral, the Dragon spacecraft prepares for integration with the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Visible at the base of the spacecraft is Dragon's heat shield, made of "PICA-X," the SpaceX manufactured variation on NASA's heat shield material. Dragon will reenter the Earth's atmosphere at around 15,660 miles per hour, heating the exterior to 1,850 degrees Celsius. Just a few inches of PICA-X should keep the spacecraft safe. (Michael Rooks / SpaceX)

A Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Dragon spaceship into outer space. (SpaceX)

The Dragon rocket is designed to separate from the Falcon 9 rocket that has taken it into space, as shown in this illustration. (NASA/SpaceX)

The Dragon spacecraft (capsule and cargo trunk) with solar panels deployed.  (SpaceX)

The Dragon approaches the International Space Station, in this artist's rendering.  (NASA/SpaceX)

Dragon finds a berth at the International Space Station in this artist's depiction. (SpaceX)

The Dragon spacecraft parachutes to a safe landing in this artist's illustration. (NASA)

A qualification unit of The Dragon sits at SpaceX's Hawthorne facility.  (SpaceX)

SpaceX's first privately built Dragon space capsule is shown mounted to a fixture in a hangar at Cape Canaveral, Fla., during launch preparations for its maiden test flight. (Brian Attiyeh/SpaceX)