Megan (Previously named GO Searcher) is a SpaceX Dragon recovery vessel based at Port Canaveral, Florida. Alongside identical twin ship Shannon, both vessels are designed for Dragon capsule recovery operations. Megan is named after Megan McArthur, the second female NASA astronaut to fly on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.

Starting out with SpaceX in 2016 as a fairing recovery / operational support vessel, Megan transitioned over to Dragon capsule recovery in 2018 as SpaceX focused on developing the  Commerical Crew program under contract with NASA. Following a drydock and maintenance period during mid-2018, Megan was built out for the role with the addition of a medical treatment facility, helipad, and extensive communication radars. A large lifting crane is installed on the stern of the vessel to lift the capsule from the water.

Megan has been preparing for Dragon recovery operations since early 2018, completing countless hours of training and upgrade work. The vessel had a starring role during the first flight of Crew Dragon, recovering the capsule from the Atlantic Ocean after its week-long stay at the International Space Station.

The vessel recovered Crew Dragon for a second time during the In-Flight Abort test mission, where SpaceX purposefully destroyed a booster to test that Dragon’s escape system worked as designed.

Since conversion for the role, Megan and twin ship Shannon both continue to take part in extensive training and rehearsals in advance of any Dragon mission. Before the first few Dragon flights, SpaceX completed countless hours of preparation with the vessels.