SpaceX already proved it could lower the cost to space with its reusable Falcon 9 rocket, but this morning, it proved that it could also recycle its robotic Dragon capsule for a mission from start to finish.
Dragon splashed down into the Pacific Ocean near Baja California at 5:12 a.m. PT, returning 4,000 pounds of cargo from the International Space Station. It’s the first Dragon to make two successful splashdowns, and the first spacecraft to make two round trips to the space station since the space shuttle era ended in 2011.
NASA astronaut Jack Fischer released the capsule from the International Space Station’s robotic arm at around 11:40 p.m. PT Sunday, with crewmate Peggy Whitson alongside.
“Dragon’s been an incredible spacecraft,” Fischer said. “I can even say it was slathered in awesome sauce. This baby has had almost no problems, which is an incredible feat, considering it’s the first reuse of a Dragon vehicle.”
Fischer spoke excitedly about the contents of SpaceX’s CRS-11 resupply mission, which was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center exactly a month ago.
“Most of the 6,000 pounds of cargo it carried was science, and almost all the return cargo are precious samples for discoveries we can’t wait to see,” he said. Read more...
Dragon splashed down into the Pacific Ocean near Baja California at 5:12 a.m. PT, returning 4,000 pounds of cargo from the International Space Station. It’s the first Dragon to make two successful splashdowns, and the first spacecraft to make two round trips to the space station since the space shuttle era ended in 2011.
NASA astronaut Jack Fischer released the capsule from the International Space Station’s robotic arm at around 11:40 p.m. PT Sunday, with crewmate Peggy Whitson alongside.
“Dragon’s been an incredible spacecraft,” Fischer said. “I can even say it was slathered in awesome sauce. This baby has had almost no problems, which is an incredible feat, considering it’s the first reuse of a Dragon vehicle.”
Fischer spoke excitedly about the contents of SpaceX’s CRS-11 resupply mission, which was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center exactly a month ago.
“Most of the 6,000 pounds of cargo it carried was science, and almost all the return cargo are precious samples for discoveries we can’t wait to see,” he said. Read more...