SpaceX Completes Historic Mission, Plans For Astronauts In Space

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – The Crew Dragon capsule, built by Hawthorne's SpaceX, splashed down Friday morning in the Atlantic Ocean; the grand finale to a historic mission. The Crew Dragon, meant to carry astronauts, landed about six hours after it successfully detached from the International Space Station.

The Crew Dragon's unmanned launch was a dry run for SpaceX to launch astronauts into space – astronauts haven't launched into space from the U.S. since the space shuttle program was retired in 2011. However, with the Crew Dragon's mission a success, astronauts in space may be a reality as soon as this summer. SpaceX and Boeing have both been contracted with NASA to conduct astronaut launches, but the Crew Dragon is the first capsule actually launched into space on a test mission.

Assuming there are no glitches in the balance of the mission, SpaceX is tentatively expected to launch a pair of astronauts into space aboard the Crew Dragon this summer, possibly July. NASA has already chosen astronauts Robert Behnken and Doug Hurley for the historic mission.

The capsule's main parachutes deployed at 5:42 a.m. and the module landed in the Atlantic Ocean at 5:45 a.m.

SpaceX's recovery ship "Go Searcher" was staged in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 miles off the Florida coast as the Crew Dragon landed.

After the splashdown, teams aboard the ship and working to employ a crane to lift the spacecraft out of the ocean. Once recovered, the Crew Dragon will be returned to Port Canaveral, Fla.

The unmanned capsule, carrying about 400 pounds of supplies and equipment, was launched into space as a historic test mission late March 1 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, and it docked with the International Space Station early Sunday morning.

Almost five days later, astronauts at the Space Station closed the hatch on the capsule, according to NASA. The capsule undocked from the station at 11:30 p.m. Thursday, beginning its relatively short trip back to Earth. The detachment aired on a live online feed on schedule, and SpaceX Tweeted: "Separation confirmed!"

The only passenger on the Crew Dragon during the current mission is a sensor-laden mannequin named Ripley, dubbed in honor of Sigourney Weaver's character in the "Alien" sci-fi film series.

After last week's launch of the Crew Dragon, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said the mission "marks a new chapter in American excellence, getting us closer to once again flying American astronauts on American rockets from American soil."

City News Service contributed to this post