SpaceX Crew-8 completes record run with splashdown return off coast of Florida
- by Sun Sentinel
- Oct 25, 2024
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— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 25, 2024
“On behalf of SpaceX, welcome home,” mission control called out moments after splashdown.
“What an incredible ride,” replied Crew-8 commander Dominick.
The quartet launched from Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket back on March 4 arriving to the ISS one day later. It was originally aiming to come home in August, but its return was first put on hold because of the delayed departure of Boeing’s Starliner that was docked alongside Endeavour.
Since the ISS has only two ports that can handle Starliner or Dragon spacecraft, the Crew-9 replacement mission to the ISS was not able to fly up until Starliner left. Even after Crew-9’s arrival in September, Hurricane Milton and other poor weather off the coast of Florida delayed Crew-8’s return flight even further.
They were docked to the ISS for 232 days, which is a record stay for the Dragon spacecraft at the station, and during which the crew were part of Expeditions 70, 71 and 72.
That stretched the 210 days the spacecraft had previously been cleared to remain in space.
Endeavour, which was named in deference to Space Shuttle Endeavour, has now completed its fifth trip to space, making it the longest cumulative time in space for any U.S. spacecraft in addition to setting the new record for longest single spaceflight for a U.S. spacecraft.
“We’re looking to certify beyond a fifth flight further and we’ll work with NASA on the definitive certification process with them,” said SpaceX’s Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of build & flight reliability, in a post-landing press conference. “I think we’ll definitely be extending the crew life beyond the current flights out toward 10 or so.”
The mission’s deorbit sequence began at 2:32 a.m. with just over an hour to go ahead of its parachute-assisted landing. The trunk was jettisoned allowing for spacecraft’s nine-minute-long deorbit burn, which was completed at 2:48 a.m.
That set up Dragon to close its forward nose cone with the spacecraft committed to its trip back through the atmosphere.
“The team right now is tracking no issues on Dragon and our landing site,” said SpaceX mission control. “Weather still looking beautiful, with a wind speed of 3 knots, a wave height of half a foot, and a wave period of six seconds.”
“That is tremendous, tremendous news,” Dominick replied.
Its path took it over the Gulf of Mexico with temperatures on reentry nearing 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit going more than 17,500 mph.
“This is why we see once the Dragon splashes down, we see that the exterior, which was a nice, pristine white at liftoff, and while it was on orbit, becomes more like a toasted marshmallow after it comes back,” said SpaceX commentator Kate Tice. “We see that thermal protection system having done its job in protecting the structure of the capsule as well as the astronauts inside.”
It slowed to about 350 mph before its pair of drogue parachutes opened on descent followed by its four main parachutes to slow it further to a gentle 15 mph at splashdown.
SpaceX’s recovery vessel Megan was on site to meet the capsule. It was hoisted onto to the ship before 4 a.m. with crew exiting the spacecraft less than an hour after landing.
Dominick exited first, with all four crew a little wobbly and helped onto gurneys not being used to gravity after such a long stay in space, but all giving thumbs up, waves and handshakes to recovery crew on board the ship. After medical checks, the quartet were to fly by helicopter back to the Florida coast and then head to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for a reunion with family.
Dragon departing the @Space_Station after undocking at 5:05 p.m. ET pic.twitter.com/9cENuy5HjV
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