SpaceX’s Crew-12 Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Los Angeles on Thursday, October 8, bringing four astronauts home after about eight months away, the Associated Press reported. NASA’s mission blog puts splashdown at 11:34 a.m. EDT.
Who came home
The crew was NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot of France, who flew for the European Space Agency, and Russia’s Andrey Fedyaev. They left the International Space Station on Wednesday, October 7, AP reports. The four launched in February. AP reports that their replacements arrived three weeks late because of capsule repairs, which delayed this crew’s return. SpaceX operated the capsule and its recovery ship.
NASA’s updates that morning said the deorbit burn was completed as expected, and that the drogue parachutes were due to open about four minutes before splashdown, at roughly 18,000 feet and about 350 mph. Recovery teams, including two fast boats, were then securing the capsule.
What they did
Meir completed four spacewalks and Adenot three, AP reports. The crew also watched Artemis II fly around the Moon from orbit, and celebrated the U.S. 250th birthday. After splashdown, Meir said, “We are so excited to be back on Planet Earth,” AP reports. The crew was taken to shore by helicopter and planned to head on to Houston. Seven astronauts remain aboard the station, from the United States, Russia and Canada.
Our take: a splashdown is routine for SpaceX by now, but this return came after a delay. The replacement crew’s late arrival meant a longer stay in orbit, and the landing itself went to plan, according to NASA’s updates. For more on SpaceX’s launch plans, see Musk Says Starship Is 2 to 3 Years From Hourly Launches.
