The recent return of two National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, from the International Space Station (ISS), in a SpaceX Dragon capsule named Endeavour, has caught global attention. Their spacecraft parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico, about 40 miles off the coast of Pensacola, Florida Panhandle, USA.
Historic Splashdown
This event marks the first splashdown by US astronauts in 45 years, achieved with the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit. The last time NASA astronauts made such a splashdown return was on the 24th of July, 1975. This marked the end of the joint USA-Soviet mission known as the Apollo-Soyuz.
The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was a unique spaceflight as it included two nations, each using their own national spacecraft. The Americans employed an Apollo command module, while the Soviets launched a Soyuz spacecraft.
About the SpaceX Crew Dragon
The SpaceX Crew Dragon, the spacecraft that recently returned the astronauts, is a reusable spacecraft. It was developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, a private company founded by Elon Musk in 2002. The company’s headquarters are located in Hawthorne, California, USA.
The Crew Dragon represents the fifth class of US spacecraft to transport human beings into orbit, following the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs. The rocket named Falcon 9, carrying the Crew Dragon, was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on May 31st, 2020.
This entire mission, known as the Demo-2 Mission, was executed under the supervision of both NASA and SpaceX.
Significance of the Mission
The successful completion of this mission has significant implications. It not only clears the path for another SpaceX crew launch but also opens up the possibility of tourist spaceflights starting from 2021.
With this feat, SpaceX has become the first private company ever to send humans into orbit, who have subsequently spent more than two months in the space station. This mission has brought fresh laurels for the US space agency, as it’s the first time since the retirement of its shuttle program in 2011, that NASA has launched humans from American soil.
In the intervening years since the end of the shuttle program, the US has relied on Russia’s space program to launch its astronauts to the space station.