The SpaceX Dragon robotic cargo capsule left the International Space Station (ISS) today (June 29), beginning its journey to Earth.
Dragon left the International Space Station today at 12:30 EDT (1630 GMT), while the two spacecraft flew over the northeastern Indian Ocean west of Indonesia.
The SpaceX capsule is now headed to its home planet. It will make a parachute-assisted landing off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday (June 30) at around 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT), NASA officials said today. The agency will not broadcast the live broadcast.
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SpaceX’s Dragon robot capsule on cargo mission CRS-28 for NASA lifts off from the International Space Station on June 29, 2023. (Image credit: NASA TV)
Dragon was launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket on June 5. She arrived at the International Space Station a day later, carrying 7,000 pounds (3,175 kg) of supplies and science experiments for the astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory.
The cargo ship’s current mission is called CRS-28, because it is the 28th that SpaceX has flown under a series of Commercial Supply Services contracts with NASA. The company also has a contract to fly astronauts to and from the International Space Station, which it does with a manned version of Dragon.
Dragon has launched various science and instrumentation experiments on CRS-28, including the International Space Station’s Fifth and Sixth Solar Arrays (iROSA).
Spacewalk astronauts installed two of these iROSAs this month, increasing power output for the orbiting laboratory.
NASA officials say the CRS-28 Dragon brought more than 3,600 pounds (1,630 kg) of scientific equipment and supplies to Earth with it.
This is a Dragon’s unique ability. Two other robotic cargo planes delivering payloads to the International Space Station — the Russian Progress spacecraft and the American special vehicle Cygnus — burned up in Earth’s atmosphere as their missions ended.
Editors Note: This story was updated at 12:43 PM EST on June 29 with news of the dock being successfully detached.
2023-06-29 18:55:18
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