A SpaceX Dragon capsule that has been tethered to the International Space Station for nearly one full month has returned to Earth on Sunday, making a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Image Credit: SpaceX/Twitter
The capsule, which brought new supplies and experiments to the International Space Station when it arrived there on February 23rd, disconnected from the Harmony module early this morning while carrying spent supplies and completed experiments that were no longer needed and were taking up valuable room.
In total, everything that returned back to Earth this morning is estimated to have weighed around 5,400 pounds. While some of it is just junk, other bits and pieces contain important results of space-based science experiments that will help propel human knowledge.
Recovery teams are already en route to the SpaceX Dragon capsule in the middle of the ocean to collect it and everything that was transported back to Earth from the International Space Station inside of it.
This was one of the many crewless Dragon capsule missions that SpaceX wants to perform before one will actually send a NASA astronaut crew to the International Space Station sometime next year.
The goal is to reduce reliance on Russia and their Soyuz spacecraft and to bring more space launches right here in the United States with our very own commercial space companies and their un-tapped talents.
Source: SpaceX
