SpaceX Crew-11 Dragon splashes down off San Diego after early return

At 3:41 a.m. EST, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California, completing a 167-day stay in space. The mission returned to Earth earlier than originally planned as teams monitored a medical concern with a crew member living and working aboard the orbital laboratory; the crew member is stable.

Teams aboard the recovery ship, including two fast boats, are securing the SpaceX Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for the recovery effort. As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck with the astronauts inside, and once on the main deck the crew will egress the spacecraft.

NASA previously announced all four crew members will be transported to a local hospital for additional evaluation, will have a planned overnight hospital stay, and then will return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to reunite with their families and undergo standard post-flight reconditioning and evaluations.

Due to medical privacy, NASA said it is not appropriate to share more details about the crew member. NASA will host a post-splashdown media conference at 5:45 a.m.

Key Topics

Science, Spacex, Dragon Spacecraft, San Diego, Nasa, Zena Cardman