SpaceX Dragon Safely Returns Crew-8 Astronauts To Earth After 7 Months On ISS

SpaceX Dragon splashed down safely off the Florida coast, returning Crew-8 astronauts to Earth after seven months on the International Space Station.

Hyderabad:SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down safely off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 12:59 PM IST on Friday, carrying American and Russian astronauts who spent seven months aboard the International Space Station. The crew includes NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin.

Following the successful splashdown, SpaceX recovery teams secured the Dragon spacecraft and hoisted it onto the main deck with the Crew-8 members inside, after which the crew went through medical checks and was flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA and SpaceX also hosted a media teleconference to discuss the Crew-8 mission and the crew’s return to Earth.

Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore will return with Crew-9 Dragon

The SpaceX Crew-8 Dragon docked with the International Space Station in March this year. It was supposed to serve as an emergency lifeboat for Boeing Starliner Crew Flight test astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore as NASA briefly outfitted it to accommodate six passengers on board.

However, NASA never used it and the two astronauts at the ISS have been moved to the Crew-9 Dragon for their journey back home.

NASA and SpaceX have delayed a Cargo Dragon resupply mission to the ISS to accommodate the extended stay of Crew-9 Dragon, now planning to launch on November 4, 2024, with astronauts Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Aleksandr Gorbunov returning in February 2025.