A couple of days ago, SpaceX successfully tested its Crew Dragon capsule parachute system, as it advances towards manned vehicle certification as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

The Crew Dragon 'chute drop over Arizona was a quiet affair compared to the recent test of the next-generation fire-breathing Dragon 2, which will ultimately dispense with the need for parachutes with its vertical landing capability.

In the meantime, though, 'chutes remain the landing tech of choice, having provided solid service since humanity's first forays into orbit.

However, while Russia's venerable Soyuz relies on one really big 'chute...

Soyuz TMA-04M touches down on 17 September, 2012. Pic: NASA/Carla Cioffi

...and Apollo pushed the envelope with three...

The Apollo 14 command module splashes down on 9 February, 1971

...SpaceX has evidently decided that four is the new three for Crew Dragon, even if its unmanned Dragon makes do with an Apollo-style trio, as do Boeing's CST-100 Starliner and Lockheed Martin's Orion:

Parachute test of a dummy Orion capsule. Pic: NASA

It remains to be seen if Crew Dragon's quartet retains the canopy world record until space agencies finally retire the tech, but one thing is certain: these are bumper times for US space parachute manufacturers. ®