The Dragon cargo Craft is the reusable spacecraft created by SpaceX has splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, March 19 as expected. The space capsule is carrying 5,400 lbs of cargo from NASA which included supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) and research items, had taken off on Feb. 19 on board a Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch of the resupply mission to the ISS was SpaceX's first mission from NASA's iconic LC-39A pad, which had been used for the Apollo mission to the moon in 1969. As per Techtimes. But, the unmanned Dragon capsule experienced a glitch or problem on its way to the ISS, yet finally docked at the ISS on Feb. 24 after the delay.
The Dragon cargo craft has now traveled back to Earth, splashing into the Pacific Ocean in the process. The cargo craft splashed down off the shore of Baja California. The space capsule was recovered easily from that point by a recovery team. The capsule had left the ISS early on Sunday morning. It was released by astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Thomas Pesquet through a robotic arm.
The Dragon cargo craft splashdown happened at 10:48 AM EDT and SpaceX affirmed the capsule's arrival through a Twitter post. Some of the materials inside the Dragon will be taken out and delivered to NASA promptly. The capsule will go to McGregor, Texas where SpaceX's research is found. Here, whatever remains of the spacecraft from the shuttle will be recovered.
Numerous types of space research are being administered on the ISS. Some of the material sent back to Earth through the Dragon cargo craft will certainly shed light on the progress of these important research. "Everything from stem organisms or cells that could help us see how human cancers begin and spread after being exposed to close to zero-gravity, to equip that is paving the way toward servicing and refueling satellites while they're in orbit will be on board," expressed NASA officials.
The other important study is that the scientists are persistent to decode how tissue can be reconstructed and the effect of microgravity on the process. The consequences of this exploration may lead to techniques for re-developing lost limbs in human sooner than later. The Dragon cargo craft was SpaceX's tenth cargo delivery mission for NASA under the terms of the agreement.