Around a month ago, SpaceX launched one of its Dragon cargo capsules into space, loading it up with supplies destined for the International Space Station. Now, it has made it safely back to Earth, splashing into the Pacific Ocean just after 6PM Eastern. SpaceX tweeted the capsule’s progress throughout the day, noting its successful departure burns that separated it from the ISS and when to expect its arrival.
Dragon has been released from the @Space_Station! Three departure burns are now underway.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 3, 2018
The three departure burns to move Dragon away from the @Space_Station are complete.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 3, 2018
Dragon will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in ~5 hours. Splashdown at 3:17 p.m. PDT.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 3, 2018
Splashdown of Dragon confirmed. Recovery team en route.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 3, 2018
Its return completes the CRS-15 mission, which brought scientific experiments, crew provisions, equipment and other supplies to the ISS. NASA says it will take approximately two days for the capsule to be retrieved and brought back to port, after which the cargo and experiments it returned will be unloaded.
