SpaceX Dragon cargo ship returns to Earth from utter jam

A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship returned to Earth with an ocean splashdown on Saturday (Aug. 20) carrying hundreds science gear from the Worldwide Dwelling Space. 

The uncrewed Dragon utter capsule splashed down off the flee of Florida on time at 2: 53 p.m. EDT (1953 GMT) after excellent-looking over a month on the utter jam.

“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed, polishing off SpaceX’s 25th cargo resupply mission to the utter jam,” SpaceX wrote in a mission update on Twitter (opens in new tab) currently. The firm didn’t present dwell views or images of the spacecraft’s splashdown.

“Once Dragon has been retrieved by SpaceX’s recovery team, the crucial science aboard the spacecraft will seemingly be transported via helicopter to [NASA’s Kennedy Space Center] and equipped to researchers,” the firm added (opens in new tab) in a 2d Twitter post.

SpaceX launched the Dragon’s SpaceX-25 mission from KSC on July 14, with the spacecraft arriving on the jam two days later. It delivered 5,800 kilos (2,630 kilograms) of science experiments, crew supplies and diverse crucial cargo to the jam. 

On Friday, the Dragon spacecraft undocked from the utter jam, constructing its return to Earth on Saturday with about 4,000 kilos (1,815 kg) of science gear. That cargo incorporated the results of a myriad of experiments on the jam that will seemingly be dropped at concerned scientists. 

SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon capsules are uncrewed versions of the firm’s Crew Dragon spacecraft and designed to ferry supplies to and from the Worldwide Dwelling Space below a multi-billion-dollar contract with NASA. SpaceX is one in all two U.S. companies currently flying resupply missions to the jam (Northrop Grumman is the diverse with the Cygnus spacecraft) with Sierra Nevada Dwelling Programs also tapped to originate identical companies for NASA with its deliberate Dream Chaser utter plane. 

Russia’s robotic Growth spacecraft also carry out typical cargo transport missions, with the European Dwelling Agency and Japan also flying their very personal cargo ships in the previous. 

The utter jam is currently home to seven astronauts that carry out up the Expedition 67 crew. The crew entails three American citizens, three Russians and one European. SpaceX launched four of those astronauts on a Crew Dragon as phase of its Crew-4 mission for NASA.

SpaceX will launch NASA’s subsequent crew to the utter jam, called Crew-5, in September.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@utter.com or observe him @tariqjmalik. Apply us @Spacedotcom, Fb and Instagram.

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Dwelling.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and workers writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and utter science, as correctly as skywatching and leisure. He turned into Dwelling.com’s Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Earlier than becoming a member of Dwelling.com, Tariq was as soon as a workers reporter for The Los Angeles Times overlaying training and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Seaside. He can also be an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Dwelling Exploration advantage badge) and went to Dwelling Camp four times as a little one and a fifth time as an grownup. He has journalism levels from the College of Southern California and New York College. To locate his most up-to-date project, you would possibly per chance perchance well presumably presumably moreover observe Tariq on Twitter.