The SpaceX Dragon Endurance is seen as it crashes in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, at 9:02 p.m. EST, returning Crew-5 to Earth. Credit: NASA TELEVISION
NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon Endurance in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, at 9:02 p.m. EST on March 11, 2023, after 157 days in area.
Teams on the Shannon recovery ship, consisting of two fast boats, now remain in the procedure of securing Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for the recovery effort. As the quick boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck of Shannon with the astronauts inside. When on the primary deck, the crew will be taken out of the spacecraft and receive medical checks before a helicopter flight to Tampa to board a plane for Houston.
The SpaceX Dragon Endurance team ship, carrying four Crew-5 members, approaches the International Space Station 260 miles above the Pacific Ocean southwest of the Hawaiian island chain in this photo from October 6, 2022. Credit: NASA/Kjell Lindgren
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Stations Harmony module at 2:20 a.m. EST on March 11. Around 40 minutes prior to splashdown, it finished its deorbit burn as anticipated. Around 4 minutes before splashdown, the drogue parachutes released at roughly 18,000 feet in altitude while Dragon was moving around 350 miles per hour. Less than a minute later, the main parachutes deployed at about 6,000 feet in altitude while the spacecraft was moving at approximately 119 miles per hour.
