SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Caps Off 157-Day Mission with Successful Splashdown

Time Stamp: March 12, 2023 3:55 PM
Source Node: 2513355

On August 2, 2020, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully completed its 157-day mission with a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The mission, known as Demo-2, was the first crewed mission to launch from the United States in nearly a decade and marked a major milestone in the commercialization of space travel.

The mission began on May 30, 2020, when the Crew Dragon spacecraft launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On board were two NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. The mission was a test flight to demonstrate the capabilities of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and to certify it for future crewed missions.

During the mission, Behnken and Hurley conducted a variety of experiments and tests to evaluate the performance of the spacecraft. They also completed several spacewalks to repair and upgrade the International Space Station (ISS). After completing their mission, they returned to Earth aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. It was recovered by SpaceX’s recovery team and brought back to shore. The astronauts were then transported back to Houston, Texas, where they were greeted by NASA officials and family members.

The successful completion of the Demo-2 mission is a major achievement for SpaceX and a major milestone in the commercialization of space travel. It marks the first time that a private company has launched and returned a crewed spacecraft from Earth orbit. The success of this mission paves the way for future commercial missions and opens up new possibilities for space exploration.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft has now proven itself to be a reliable and safe vehicle for transporting astronauts to and from space. This success will no doubt lead to more commercial missions in the future as companies continue to explore new opportunities in space.