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SpaceX and NASA successfully return Crew Dragon spacecraft to Earth with astronauts on board

SpaceX and NASA successfully return Crew Dragon spacecraft to Earth with astronauts on board

3 years ago
Anonymous $qOHwDUKgAF

https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/02/spacex-and-nasa-successfully-return-crew-dragon-spacecraft-to-earth-with-astronauts-on-board/

SpaceX and NASA have made history once again, successfully completing the crucial final phase of their Demo-2 mission for the Crew Dragon spacecraft, SpaceX’s first spacecraft made for human flight. This marks the end of this last demonstration mission, which flew NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station on May 30, where they remained for two months prior to making the return trip on Sunday.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon appears to have performed exactly as intended throughout the mission, handling the launch, ISS docking, undocking, de-orbit and splashdown in a fully automated process that kept the astronauts safe and secure throughout. This final phase includes recovery of Behnken and Hurley at sea in the Gulf of Mexico using SpaceX’s GO Navigator recovery vessel, which also seems to be going smoothly so far, though it’s still in progress. Behnken and Hurley are confirmed to be safe and healthy, however, and the capsule is ideally positioned int he water.