SpaceX’s swanky new crew capsule returned from the International Space Station to an old-fashioned splashdown in the Atlantic on Friday, successfully ending a test flight that could lead to astronaut rides later this year.
The Dragon capsule undocked from the orbiting lab early Friday. Six hours later, the capsule carrying a test dummy parachuted into the ocean, a couple hundred miles off the Florida coast.
It was the final hurdle for the six-day demo, a critical prelude to SpaceX’s first flight with astronauts as early as summer. While improvements still need to be made, the company aims to fly NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on the next test flight.
Astronauts have not launched from Florida for eight years, and NASA is eager to end the drought and reduce its costly dependence on Russia for space station trips.
SpaceX employees cheered and applauded at company headquarters near Los Angeles when the Dragon’s red and white parachutes popped open. NASA televised the descent live, the dramatic views coming from a plane. The crowd went wild once the capsule splashed down and was seen floating upright.
« Just amazing. I can’t believe how well the whole mission has gone » with all major milestones met, said Benji Reed, SpaceX’s director of crew mission management.
It was the first time in 50 years that a capsule designed for astronauts returned from space by plopping into the Atlantic.
