- SpaceX’s Crew Dragon became the first commercially developed and manned spacecraft to dock at the International Space Station in May.
- This weekend, the spacecraft and its astronauts will return to Earth. Her flight includes a scorching and rapid fall through our atmosphere.
- Watch the trip live on NASA television below.
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SpaceX made history in May when it became the first company to launch a manned spacecraft to the International Space Station. In doing so, Elon Musk’s rocket company also revived the ability of the US to launch its own astronauts into space, which had not been possible since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011.
Two months later, the mission’s astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, are about to return home in the same spacecraft, which they have named Endeavor. Their journey includes a fiery return through Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA will broadcast that flight, as well as the process in which the spacecraft undocks from the space station, live this weekend; You can watch it below on NASA TV. Here is the schedule:
On Saturday, August 1, the astronauts will participate in an ISS farewell ceremony around 9:10 am ET. Then, NASA’s decoupling coverage begins at 5:15 p.m. ET, before the astronauts’ scheduled departure of 7:34 p.m.
Then, on Sunday, August 2, assuming everything goes well, the crew Dragon should splash around in the Atlantic Ocean around 2:42 pm ET. A press conference later in the day will begin at 5 pm ET.
However, it is possible that tropical storm Isaias will get in the way and force SpaceX and NASA to change the schedule. The wind and rain from the storm are expected to hit Florida on Saturday.
What to Expect During the Return of the Dragon Crew
The first phase of the astronauts’ return journey, decoupling, forces them to enter the Crew Dragon, after which the spacecraft must retract the hooks connecting it to the ISS. Assuming everything goes as planned, their engines would gently propel the ship out of the station. Once it flies free, the ship is slated to fire its engines more aggressively to get it on the way to its Florida shore location.
Then, after it’s on the way, the ship is expected to drop its trunk, which should burn in the atmosphere. Once the separation is complete, Crew Dragon should launch towards Earth at a speed of up to 17,500 miles per hour, or almost 23 times the speed of sound.
An illustration of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft returning to Earth with a plasma glow in front of its heat shield.
SpaceX via YouTube
During this fall, the spacecraft’s heat shield will have to protect the hardware and crew from temperatures up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Musk has called this part of the trip his “greatest concern.”
After the Dragon of the crew re-enters the thickest parts of Earth’s atmosphere, it is slated to deploy two sets of parachutes. The first opens at 18,000 feet, then another set comes at 6,000 feet. After that is the dip: The capsule is expected to land in the ocean about 22 to 175 nautical miles off the coast of Florida.
