Megan

When a Crew Dragon capsule splashes down after returning from the International Space Station, Megan is the first vessel on scene. The ship features a helipad for rapid astronaut extraction, an on-board medical facility for post-flight health checks, and a specialised crane for lifting the Dragon capsule from the water.

For crewed missions, speed is critical — astronauts need to be extracted from the capsule quickly for medical assessment after weeks or months in microgravity. Megan's medical bay allows initial checks to begin immediately, before the crew is transferred by helicopter to shore facilities.

The vessel works in concert with Shannon, which serves as a backup recovery vessel for redundancy on crewed flights.