NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley made history in May when they mounted the SpaceX Falcon 9 in space and docked the Dragon capsule on the International Space Station (ISS). The couple have been on the station all summer, but their duty shift is coming to an end soon. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced that the Dragon will leave the ISS on August 1 and land the following day.
SpaceX’s May launch was the culmination of years of planning to bring manned space flight back to American soil. Since the end of the space shuttle program, American astronauts have only been able to get to and from the station in Russian Soyuz capsules. That agreement helped bridge the gap between the Shuttle and private vehicles, but the cost was extremely high.
SpaceX is one of two companies that obtained NASA approval to build human-rated spacecraft, and the other was government contractor Boeing. Despite an initial lead and more funding, Boeing suffered several software problems with its capsule during a test in late 2019. Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner has yet to complete a makeup mission, leaving SpaceX to cross the line of Finish first with the DM-2 mission.
Robert Behnken (left) and Douglas Hurley (right)
The Crew Dragon capsule has been docked on the ISS these past six weeks, and taking it back to Earth with the crew will be the final test. After this, SpaceX and NASA can begin regular operations to move the crew to and from the ISS. Every time Boeing catches up, that will further expand NASA’s access to the station.
In future missions, astronauts may return to Earth aboard a different vehicle than the one they arrived at. This is technically a demo mission, so Behnken and Hurley will use the same capsule to return home. On August 1, Behnken and Hurley will board the Dragon and undock from the ISS. Reentry into the atmosphere is the most dangerous part of space flight other than launch, so NASA will observe how the Dragon’s head shield and parachute systems work. After splashing in the ocean, the crew will be picked up by a SpaceX recovery vessel. The crew should return safely to Earth on August 2.
NEWS: We are targeting an August 1 departure of @ SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavor from @Space_Station to bring @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug home after their historic mission #LaunchAmerica. Splashdown is scheduled for August 2. The weather will determine the actual date. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/VOCV51gzLi
– Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) July 17, 2020
NASA has another Dragon crew flight scheduled for September, but could delay or even cancel that flight if there is a problem during the last phase of DM-2.
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