Megan (ship)

	Megan, one of SpaceX’s two recovery ships, is pictured in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast while awaiting the splashdown of the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.
History
United States
Name	Megan (2022–present); GO Searcher (2019–2022); CGT Searcher (2017–2019); HARVEY Otter (2014–2017); CALLAIS Searcher (2013–2014);
Namesake	Megan McArthur
Owner	Falcon Landing LLC. (2022–present) ; Guice Offshore (2013–2022);
Operator	SpaceX (2016–present) ; Guice Offshore (2013–2016);
Builder	Master Boat Builders, Coden, Alabama
Launched	2009
Completed	2010
In service	2010
Identification	Call sign: WDH3015; IMO number: 9591648; MMSI number: 366584000;
Status	In service
Notes
General characteristics
Class and type	Platform supply vessel
Tonnage	497 GT; 576 DWT;
Length	51.0 m (167 ft 4 in)
Beam	12.0 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draught	3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Depth	3.6576 m (12 ft 0 in)
Decks	1
Installed power	1,750 HP
Propulsion	2 x CAT 3508B Industrial Diesel Engines
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Capacity	32
Crew	6
Notes

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]

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, Fla. 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

Date	Mission	Role	Type
8 March 2019	Crew Dragon Demo-1	Crew Dragon recovery support	Catching
11 April 2019	ArabSat-6A	Fairing recovery	Non-Catching
24 May 2019	Starlink	Fairing recovery	Non-Catching
25 June 2019	STP-2	Fairing recovery	Non-Catching
6 August 2019	Amos-17	Fairing recovery	Non-Catching
11 November 2019	Starlink-2	Fairing recovery	Non-Catching
19 January 2020	Crew Dragon in Flight abort test	Crew Dragon recovery support	Catching
11 March 2021	Starlink 20	Fairing recovery	Non-Catching
14 March 2021	Starlink 21	Fairing recovery	Non-Catching
26 May 2021	Starlink 28	Fairing recovery	Non-Catching
6 June 2021	SXM-8	Fairing recovery	Non-Catching
18 September 2021	Inspiration4	Crew Dragon recovery support	Catching
1 October 2021	CRS-23	Cargo Dragon recovery support	Catching
24 January 2022	CRS-24	Cargo Dragon recovery support	Catching
25 April 2022	Axiom Mission 1	Crew Dragon recovery support	Catching
20 August 2022	CRS-25	Cargo Dragon recovery support	Catching
14 October 2022	Crew-4	Crew Dragon recovery support	Catching
11 January 2023	CRS-26	Cargo Dragon recovery support	Catching
31 May 2023	Axiom Mission 2	Crew Dragon recovery support	Catching
4 September 2023	SpaceX Crew-6	Crew Dragon recovery support	Catching

Incidents

According to United States Coast Guard, on May 9, 2020, while practicing recovering the SpaceX Dragon 2 capsule, GO Searcher's crew pulled a man from the Atlantic Ocean.^[8]^[9]

Gallery

GO Searcher Gallery
GO Searcher, in the Atlantic Ocean, about 200 miles off Florida's east coast, on March 8, 2019
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Demo-1 spacecraft aboard the company's recovery vessel, GO Searcher, following splashdown at 8:45 a.m. EST on March 8, 2019.
On August 13, 2019, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Bob Behnken on GO Searcher, rehearsing Crew Dragon crew extraction with teams from NASA and SpaceX.

References

^ ^a ^b "Advanced Masterdata for the Vessel Go Searcher". VesselTracker. 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b "GO Searcher". SpaceXFleet. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
^ "GO SEARCHER Offshore Support Vessel". intelligence.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
^ "Crew Dragon Recovery". SpaceXFleet. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
^ "Go Searcher – Commercial Crew Program". blogs.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
^ 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.
^ "SpaceX's private Inspiration4 crew returns to Earth with historic splashdown off Florida coast". Space.com. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
^ Thompson, Amy (2020-05-10). "SpaceX recovery team rescues stranded boater during ocean recovery drills". TESLARATI. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
^ Speck, Emilee (2020-05-08). "Practicing retrieving astronaut spacecraft at sea, SpaceX vessel rescues stranded boater". WKMG. Retrieved 2020-06-01.

[vesseltracker-1] "Advanced Masterdata for the Vessel Go Searcher". VesselTracker. 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

[:0-2] "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] "SpaceX's private Inspiration4 crew returns to Earth with historic splashdown off Florida coast". Space.com. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.

[8] Thompson, Amy (2020-05-10). "SpaceX recovery team rescues stranded boater during ocean recovery drills". TESLARATI. Retrieved 2020-06-01.

[9] Speck, Emilee (2020-05-08). "Practicing retrieving astronaut spacecraft at sea, SpaceX vessel rescues stranded boater". WKMG. Retrieved 2020-06-01.

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