SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has successfully brought the Crew-10 mission back to Earth after spending almost five months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The mission included NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
The journey home for the crew began when Dragon autonomously undocked from the ISS at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT on Friday, August 8. After a smooth reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California, at 11:33 a.m. ET/8:33 a.m. PT on Saturday, August 9. The four main parachutes deployed just minutes before splashdown to ensure a gentle landing.
The Crew-10 mission launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:03 p.m. ET/4:03 p.m. PT on March 14, docking with the ISS on March 16 at 12:04 a.m. ET/March 15 at 9:04 p.m. PT. During their 145 days in orbit, the astronauts conducted scientific experiments aimed at advancing human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefiting life on Earth.
The Dragon capsule used for Crew-10 was a veteran spacecraft, having previously flown the Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7 missions for NASA.
This successful return comes shortly after SpaceX launched the Crew-11 mission to the ISS, which is currently docked at the station. Looking ahead, SpaceX is gearing up for the 10th orbital test flight of its next-generation Starship vehicle later this month. Designed for missions to Mars and beyond, Starship recently made headlines after SpaceX signed a deal with Italy for a future interplanetary flight.
It is exciting to see the advancements in space exploration and the continued success of SpaceX in pushing the boundaries of human spaceflight. The Crew-10 mission’s safe return marks another milestone in the journey towards expanding our presence in space and exploring new frontiers.