SpaceX’s scorched Dragon cargo capsule is on a ship making its way back to Los Angeles after Thursday’s historic descent from orbit.
The California-based company reported that the 14.4-foot-high (4.4-meter-high) spacecraft and its far more than 1,300 pounds (620 kilograms) of cargo were in good shape, in spite of its plunge from the International Space Station. On the way down, the Dragon weathered re-entry temperatures in excess of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 degrees Celsius). At a height of 40,000 feet, the Dragon started deploying its parachutes and drifted into the Pacific, about 560 miles west of Baja California. A recovery team got to the craft, towed it to the ship and utilised a crane to hoist it aboard, as planned.SpaceX spokeswoman Kirstin Brost Grantham told me that a few items will be delivered to NASA officials with a 48-hour turnaround, as a demonstration of the process for returning time-sensitive cargo from orbit. But the Dragon itself and most of its payload will be taking a slower ride to the port of Los Angeles. Arrival is expected around June 6, depending on weather.
From California, the craft and cargo will be trucked to SpaceX’s rocket test facility in MacGregor, Texas, for postflight processing. Then the cargo will be turned over to NASA.
The handover of the Dragon’s contents will be the last item to verify off on NASA’s list of requirements. That should clear the way for a $1.6 billion series of 12 Dragon cargo flights, with the first launch almost certainly scheduled sometime in September.
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• Spaceships will follow Dragon’s trail
Spaceships will follow Dragon’s trail SpaceX SpaceX’s scorched Dragon capsule sits on its American Marine recovery ship after being fished out of the Pacific Ocean on Thursday. By Alan Boyle Follow b0yle SpaceX’s scorched Dragon cargo capsule is on a ship making its way back to Los Angeles after Thursday’s historic descent from orbit .