Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley strapped into Crew Dragon prior to the launch scrub May 27.
SpaceX.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 objective has actually been smooth sailing so far for NASA’s Commercial Team Program
Crew Dragon effectively undocked from the ISS at 4: 35 p.m. PT on Saturday.
Splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico is on schedule for 11: 48 a.m. PT.
NASA and SpaceX are planning on a water landing off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, on Sunday while continuing to keep track of any impact from Cyclone Isaias.
This will be the very first crew recovery at sea of NASA astronauts because 1975 at the end of the Apollo moon exploration age, the area company tweeted on Sunday
A post-splashdown press conference is set for 1: 30 p.m. PT on NASA TV.
The reentry process is remarkable. “Crew Dragon will be traveling at orbital speed prior to reentry, moving at around 17,500 miles per hour. The optimum temperature it will experience on reentry is roughly 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit,” stated NASA in a statement on July 24
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A SpaceX recovery vessel will meet Crew Dragon (which the astronauts called Endeavour) to gather the spacecraft and parachutes from the water. Endeavour will be hoisted onto the ship and Behnken and Hurley will be greeted by a medical team.
There’s a lot riding on a safe, uneventful return for Team Dragon. “This is SpaceX’s last test flight and is supplying data on the efficiency of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft and ground systems, in addition to in-orbit, docking, splashdown and healing operations,” NASA stated in a release
If Team Dragon passes these final tests, then SpaceX will have the ability to offer routine, operational flights to the ISS beginning later on this year And it would end NASA’s dependence on Russian spacecraft for the very first time given that the shuttle era.