SpaceX’s latest cargo mission is back on Earth with a huge haul of science experiments on board.
The Dragon CRS-24 cargo ship splashed down today (Jan. 24) in the Atlantic Ocean at 4:05 p.m. EST (2105 GMT), off the coast of Florida near Panama City.
“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed, completing SpaceX’s 24th resupply mission to the space station,” SpaceX wrote in a Twitter update.
The SpaceX cargo ship returned nearly 5,000 pounds (2,267 kilograms) of science to Earth, including a “cytoskeleton” that studies cell signaling in humans, and returning a 12-year-old light imaging microscope being retired after more than a decade of use in orbit. Those experiments and more will be returned to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida to be delivered to scientists, SpaceX said in a statement.
Related: Live updates from the International Space Station
Splashdown of Dragon confirmed, completing SpaceX’s 24th resupply mission to the @space_station!January 24, 2022
The spacecraft wrapped up its mission after just over a month in space, allowing Expedition 66 spaceflyers to receive fresh food and supplies from Earth on Dec. 22, a day after launch, before the crew filled up the spacecraft with science to return home.
The splashdown was initially targeted for the wee hours of Monday morning local time, but two days of bad weather at potential splashdown locations in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast prevented the departure at first, according to SpaceX.
The undocking finally took place on Sunday (Jan. 23) at 10:40 a.m. EST (1540 GMT), and was livestreamed by NASA TV.
“Expedition 66 wishes the Dragon well on its return,” NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn radioed Mission Control from the station, on behalf of Expedition 66, shortly after the undocking. “Congratulations to Houston and SpaceX. Can’t wait to see what the results bring.”
NASA carried no coverage of the splashdown, but the agency and SpaceX did provide updates through social media. The target location was close enough to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s Space Coast (an hour east of Orlando) to rapidly return science experiments that need to be kept refrigerated.
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