SpaceX Crew-11 Dragon splashes down off San Diego after 167-day mission

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 for the four-person crew.

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, NASA said. 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 to take advantage of medical resources on Earth.

Following a planned overnight hospital stay, the crew 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.

Key Topics

Science, Spacex Dragon, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, San Diego, International Space Station