SpaceX announced via a personal social media tweet, “The Dragon spacecraft has confirmed its splashdown, completing SpaceX’s 25th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station.”
In another tweet, the company added, “After the Dragon spacecraft is recovered by SpaceX’s recovery team, the spacecraft’s critical science facilities will be transported by helicopter to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for transfer to researchers.”
SpaceX launched the Dragon spacecraft on its 25th cargo resupply mission from the Kennedy Space Center on July 14, and the spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station two days later. The spacecraft delivered 5,800 pounds (2,630 kilograms) of scientific experiment equipment, crew resupply and other cargo to the ISS.
The Dragon spacecraft separated from the ISS this Friday and is scheduled to return to Earth on Saturday. The cargo carried by the spacecraft includes the results of some of the ISS experiments.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is used to deliver supplies to and from the ISS under a multibillion-dollar contract with NASA. spaceX is one of two U.S. companies currently performing ISS cargo resupply missions, while Northrop Grumman uses the Cygnus cargo spacecraft for resupply missions. In addition to these two companies, Sierra Nevada Space Systems plans to provide similar services to NASA with the Dream Chaser spaceplane.
In addition to these U.S. companies, Russia’s Progress unmanned spacecraft also regularly conducts cargo resupply missions, and the European Space Agency and Japan have launched cargo spacecraft in the past.
The ISS currently has seven astronauts, including three U.S. astronauts, three Russian astronauts and one European astronaut. Four of the astronauts on the Crew-4 space mission arrived on the ISS aboard SpaceX’s manned Dragon spacecraft.
SpaceX will also send NASA crew members on the Crew-5 space mission to the International Space Station in September of this year.
