CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX’s 30th robotic Dragon cargo ship has successfully returned to Earth. The spacecraft departed from the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:10 p.m. EDT while flying over Thailand. Due to orbital nighttime in the area, there were no clear visuals of the moment of undocking.
Dragon made its way back to Earth with an ocean splashdown off the coast of Florida around 2:30 a.m. EDT on Tuesday. The mission, known as CRS-30, marked SpaceX’s 30th cargo delivery to the ISS under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.
The journey of CRS-30 began on March 21 with the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The capsule docked with the orbiting lab on March 23, carrying approximately 3 tons of scientific hardware and supplies to the station.
In addition to delivering supplies to the ISS, Dragon also brought back over 4,100 pounds of supplies and scientific experiments designed to utilize the microgravity environment of the space station. This successful splashdown off the coast of Florida allows for quick transportation of the experiments to NASA’s Space Systems Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Dragon stands out as the only cargo craft capable of safely bringing cargo back from the ISS. Other operational space freighters like Russia’s Progress vehicle and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after completing their work in orbit.
Despite the completion of CRS-30, another SpaceX vehicle remains docked at the ISS. The Dragon is currently involved in the company’s Crew-8 astronaut mission for NASA, carrying astronauts for a six-month stay.
Overall, SpaceX’s successful return of the 30th Dragon cargo ship marks another milestone in the company’s partnership with NASA for resupplying the International Space Station.