Watch astronauts splash down to Earth safely aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
Tim O'Donnell
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience, carrying four astronauts back to Earth from the International Space Station, splashed down safely just before 3 a.m. ET on Sunday morning off the coast of Panama City, Florida. It was the first nighttime splashdown for NASA astronauts since the return of Apollo 8 in 1968.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.
Update your settings here to see it.

NASA's Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi of Japan's JAXA are reportedly in "in great shape and great spirits" after spending 168 days orbiting Earth. "For those of you enrolled in our frequent flier program, you have earned 68 million miles on this voyage," Michael Heiman, a SpaceX mission control official, joked. "We'll take those miles. Are they transferable?" Hopkins replied.

With their landing the crew successfully completed the first round-trip operational mission for NASA led by a private company. "I'd just like to say quite frankly, you all are changing the world," Hopkins said as SpaceX personnel prepared to open the side hatch of the capsule.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.
Update your settings here to see it.

SpaceX and NASA now have regularly scheduled human shuttles to and from space, The Wall Street Journal notes. Read more at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

More stories from theweek.com
5 brutally funny cartoons about Giuliani's legal woes
What the Elon Musk backlash is really about
Mitt Romney, Republican sphinx

Recommended Stories

  • Watch SpaceX's Crew-1 mission return to Earth starting at 8:35PM ET

    The SpaceX Crew-1 mission is returning to Earth after half a year at the ISS, and you can watch it live beginning at 8:35PM Eastern.

  • SpaceX capsule departs station with 4 astronauts, heads home

    A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts departed the International Space Station late Saturday, aiming for a rare nighttime splashdown to end the company’s second crew flight. NASA’s Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi, headed home in the same Dragon capsule that delivered them to the space station last November.

  • NASA, SpaceX teams hail successful mission

    NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 mission with NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) returned to Earth after almost six months on the orbiting outpost.The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience, landed at 2:56 a.m. EDT (06566 GMT) on Sunday (May 2) off the coast of Panama City, Florida where recovery vessels recovered the spacecraft and the four astronauts. The astronauts will fly to Houston after arriving on shore, NASA said.The astronauts' return marked the end of the first crew rotation mission to the station by the Crew Dragon spacecraft, developed in partnership between NASA and Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX, the agency said in a statement.The mission was part of NASA's fledgling public-private partnership with SpaceX, the rocket company founded in 2002 by Musk, who is also CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc.

  • SpaceX: Elon Musk’s Dragon capsule returns to Earth after pioneering Nasa mission

    SpaceX’s Dragon capsule – and the Nasa Crew-1 mission it was carrying – has safely returned to Earth after a trip to the International Space Station. It was the first official crew to have made that journey in a SpaceX craft, as the name suggests, though astronauts had made the same trip in the final test. It was also the first Nasa nighttime landing since the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, with difficult conditions in recent days forcing the original arrival times to be delayed.

  • NASA can’t let the Crew Dragon crew come home

    The first formal crewed mission to the International Space Station using a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket was a historic achievement for both NASA and SpaceX. The four-astronaut roster that made the trip from Earth to the orbiting laboratory arrived on November 16th of 2020, which means that as it's the end of April 2021, it's time to come home and make room for the next ISS expedition to get underway. Unfortunately, despite a planned return on April 28th, the crew is still in space, and as of right now there is no official date for them to come back. The crew was first scheduled to depart the ISS on April 28th and once it became apparent that that date wouldn't work, the space agency opted for April 30th instead. That plan was canceled as well. So, what kind of incredible, all-powerful force could keep NASA from bringing its astronauts home? Mother Nature, of course! According to releases from NASA, the weather off of the coast of Florida where the recovery of the capsule was supposed to take place is not ideal. It's remained poor for several days, and pushing the departure date back by two days didn't allow enough time for the weather system to clear out and make way for sunny skies. The crew gets at least a few extra days in space, but it's still unclear exactly when they'll be coming home. NASA's latest announcement: NASA and SpaceX have decided to move Crew-1’s undocking and splashdown from Friday, April 30, and Saturday, May 1, respectively, following a review of the forecast weather conditions in the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida, which continue to predict wind speeds above the return criteria. Mission teams from NASA and SpaceX will meet again on Friday to further review opportunities for the safe return of Crew-1. Crew Dragon is in great health on the space station, and teams will continue to look for the optimal conditions for both splashdown and recovery. Because the next expedition crew has already arrived at the space station, the four-person crew that was supposed to leave days ago bumps the total number of current ISS inhabitants to 11. That's a pretty big number considering the typical operation crew is between six and eight, but the space station has plenty of resources for everyone, and a wealth of extra food, water, and breathable air to accommodate situations like this. We don't know for sure when the first Crew Dragon mission crew will be able to return, but it will be sooner rather than later. NASA is eager to continue its Commercial Crew Program success with additional SpaceX launches in the near future, so we should expect a regular Crew Dragon presence on the ISS.

  • Astronauts have been enjoying a fresh supply vegetables to keep them healthy in space. Two NASA scientists explain how the crop-growing experiments worked.

    Insider spoke to two NASA scientists who worked on the crop-production experiments to learn more about how they aim to keep crew members healthy.

  • Four astronauts delivered back to Earth by SpaceX

    An international crew of four astronauts is back on Earth after a long-duration stay on the International Space Station. The big picture: Sunday's splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico marks the end of SpaceX's first fully operational crewed mission to the space station.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. A night-vision camera captures the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule parachuting in the Gulf of Mexico as boats arrive to pick up the astronauts. Photo: NASA TVWhat's happening: NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and Japan's Soichi Noguchi splashed down about 3a.m. ET after undocking from the space station Saturday evening.The return of this crew leaves a crew of seven people on the space station now, four flown up by another SpaceX mission and three that flew to space aboard Russia's Soyuz.What's next: The Crew Dragon capsule — named Resilience — will now be turned around so it can be used for SpaceX's next crewed flight, the Inspiration 4 mission to orbit expected to launch in September. As part of its refurbishment, SpaceX is planning to install a large window in place of the spacecraft's docking adaptor to give the all-civilian crew an unmatched view of space while in orbit. Recovery vessels are on the way to hoist the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft out of the ocean and place it inside the Dragon nest aboard @SpaceX’s Go Navigator recovery ship. pic.twitter.com/J2Nhob3ifq— NASA (@NASA) May 2, 2021 Editor's note: This article has been updated with images from the splashdown. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

  • SpaceX returns 4 astronauts to Earth in splashdown off Florida coast

    Four astronauts strapped into a Crew Dragon capsule splashed down into the Gulf of Mexico, wrapping up a mission to the International Space Station.

  • Rain doesn't dampen Patrick Emerling's Spring Sizzler

    STAFFORD, Conn. — Patrick Emerling dodged the wreck. And then waited on the rain. His reward? The Orchard Park, New York, driver is the 49th NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler winner Friday night. Rain ended the race after 130 laps at Stafford Motor Speedway. To get the win, Emerling had to pilot the No. 07 […]

  • 12 details you might have missed in 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith'

    A Millennium Falcon cameo, a George Lucas alien, a clone trooper boxing a battle droid, and Obi-Wan's kill count.

  • NASA, SpaceX pause work on the lunar lander deal due to contract challenges

    SpaceX will have to hold off work on a lunar lander for NASA while the government reviews protests from Blue Origin and SpaceX.

  • NASA tells SpaceX to halt lunar lander work pending contract challenges

    U.S. space agency NASA has told Elon Musk's SpaceX to halt work under a contract it won to develop a lunar spacecraft, pending the outcome of challenges by rival bidders at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the agency said on Friday. NASA's decision means SpaceX has to stop any work specifically related to the moon program contract until the GAO makes a ruling, expected Aug. 4 at the latest. A SpaceX spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

  • SpaceX has safely landed 4 astronauts in the ocean for NASA, completing the US's longest human spaceflight

    The astronauts of Crew-1 were on the International Space Station for six months. They just passed the torch to the next SpaceX mission.

  • Simone Biles Defies Gravity in Jaw-Dropping Tokyo Olympics Ad

    Gold medal gymnast Simone Biles rewrites the laws of physics in an eye-popping new Tokyo Olympics commercial. Watch the amazing NBC spot.

  • Buffett on whether he'd insure SpaceX mission: I'd have a 'different rate if Elon was on board'

    Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett has a message about the insurability of Elon Musk’s future SpaceX missions.

  • More perilous phase ahead for Biden after his 1st 100 days

    Joe Biden's presidency is entering a new and more perilous phase where he is almost certain to face stiffer Republican opposition and also have difficulty keeping Democrats united as he pushes for $4 trillion in additional spending on programs that have echoes of the New Deal and the Great Society.

  • Micah Parsons top pick for 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year

    With the NFL Draft in full swing, which players are candidates for the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year award?

  • Texas special election: Republican Susan Wright advances to runoff in race for U.S. House seat, NBC News projects

    It's the first hotly contested special election of President Joe Biden's term, with Wright running to fill her late husband's North Texas seat.

  • NCAA men’s, women’s soccer tournaments in NC: Scores, schedule, how to watch Sunday

    UNC vs. Charlotte highlights Sunday’s second-round action, while the women;s third-round schedule is announced.

  • Impressive Senior Bowl workouts led to Texans trading up for Nico Collins

    The Houston Texans were impressed with former Michigan WR Nico Collins' workouts at the Senior Bowl, which is why traded up to draft him.