SpaceX returned with four astronauts from the International Space Station early Sunday morning, splashing down in darkness in the Gulf of Mexico.
NASA’s Shannon Walker, Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi landed in the Dragon capsule just before 3 a.m. off the coast of Panama City, Florida.
Their landing was the first nighttime splashdown for a US crew since the Apollo 8 in 1968.
“We welcome you back to planet Earth and thanks for flying SpaceX,” SpaceX’s Mission Control radioed moments after the splashdown. “For those of you enrolled in our frequent flyer program, you’ve earned 68 million miles on this voyage.”
“We’ll take those miles. Are they transferrable?” Hopkins responded.
The crew made the journey back to Earth in the same capsule, dubbed Resilience, as when they rocketed off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 15.
The Crew Dragon Resilience landing marks the successful end of SpaceX’s second crewed flight. NASA TV via APTheir safe return on Sunday was the second successful astronaut mission for Elon Musk’s company.
Less than a half hour after landing, the charred capsule was lifted onto a recovery ship, before the astronauts exited out the side hatch.
The landing was the first US crew nighttime splashdown since the Apollo 8 moonshot. NASA/AFP via Getty ImagesHopkins, the NASA astronaut commanding the mission, was the first one out, doing a little dance to celebrate their return.
Speaking to SpaceX flight controllers, Hopkins praised the company, saying “it’s amazing what can be accomplished when people come together.”
“Quite frankly, you all are changing the world. Congratulations. It’s great to be back,” he said.
Once finished with their medical checkups, the crew is set to jump on a helicopter for a short fight, before catching a plane to Houston for a reunion with their loved ones.
NASA and SpaceX managers marveled at how fast and smooth the landing and recovery went. Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP“It’s not very often you get to wake on the space station and go to sleep in Houston,” Ridings, who was chief flight director, told reporters.
The astronauts will “semi quarantine” since their time in space has caused immune systems to be a “little bit depressed,” NASA’s Walker said.
“And so, we’re going to do everything we can do to keep everybody safe,” Walker said, NPR reported.
The four astronauts flew back in the same capsule they launched in back in November. Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP“We definitely have enjoyed not wearing masks up here, and having to go back and wear masks, as well, it’s what we will do because that is the right thing to do.”
The 167-day mission was a new record for a crew capsule launching from the US.
The Resilience capsule is seen being hoisted onto the recovery ship. NASA TV via APIt broke the previous record of 84 days set by NASA’s final Skylab station astronauts in 1974.
SpaceX had been set to return to Earth last Wednesday, but two daytime landing attempts were nixed due to high offshore winds in the Gulf of Mexico.
The company instead decided to take advantage of the calm weather and ample moonlight, and switched gears to prepare for the splashdown in darkness.
A crew member exits the SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule after its return to Earth. NASA/AFP via Getty ImagesIt recovered its most recent station cargo capsule from the Gulf of Mexico and activated infrared cameras to track the astronauts through the night sky.
The Apollo 8 — NASA’s first flight to the moon with astronauts — had returned with a predawn splashdown in the Pacific near Hawaii on Dec. 27, 1968.
“Earthbound!” NASA astronaut Victor Glover tweeted while departing the International Space Station. Bill Ingalls/NASA via APBut there had no been any nighttime splashdowns for a US crew since then.
The night landing avoided issues that had occurred with Space X’s Demo-2, such as the civilian boats loitering around for its return last August.
NASA astronaut Shannon Walker exiting the capsule. EPA/BILL INGALLS /NASA“We had a couple lessons learned from the Demo-2 mission,” said NASA’s Commercial Crew program manager Steve Stich, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
“Last time you may remember we had some boats in the area. Today, the United States Coast Guard had several assets on scene and patrolled that area. We had no leisure boats within the ellipse that we cleared for landing. So that was much, much better than last time.”
JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi waves to cameras as he exits the capsule. EPA/BILL INGALLS /NASAStitch added that there was a quicker turnaround to recover the capsule and retrieve the astronauts than SpaceX’s previous landing.
Space’x senior advisor Hans Koenigsmann credited their improved efficiency on recovery team practices.
NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins celebrates a successful landing and being back home. Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP“It looked more like a race car pit stop than anything else. Everybody was at the right spot and did the right things,” he said, the newspaper reported. “Everything came together and resulted in these record-breaking times.”
With Post wires
