The SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission landed on Sunday on the coast of Florida, United States, after its crew made history with the first spacewalk by non-governmental astronauts.
The Dragon capsule landed in the ocean at 03:37 local time (07:37 GMT), according to images broadcast by SpaceX live. A team was immediately deployed to recover the ship and the four crew members. The capsule was pulled from the water onto a nearby boat.
After a brief medical examination, the engineer SpaceX Anna Menon She was the first to leave the ship, smiling and waving. She was followed Sarah Gillisalso an engineer, the pilot Scott Poteet and Billionaire businessman JAred Isaacman, mission commander. A helicopter will transport them to the ground.
The main objectives of the mission, which involves a A new stage in commercial space explorationwere fulfilled.
SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn space mission successfully returned to Earth
“A new era in commercial flights is beginning,” he said on Sunday. Polaris Dawnwhich will have a total of three missions.
The spacecraft lifted off Tuesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, going farther into space than any other crew has done since the Apollo moon missions more than half a century ago.
They reached an altitude of 1,400 km, more than three times the orbital distance of the International Space Station (ISS).
Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon They became the two women who traveled the furthest distance in the Land.
On Thursday, the crucial moment of the mission took place. Aboard the Dragon capsule, the orbit was lowered to about 700 km for the spacewalk, during which Isaacman opened the hatch and climbed out into the void clinging to a structure called “Skywalker” with a view of Earth in the background.
He returned to the interior of the capsule and was replaced outside by Gillis, who like Isaacman, performed a series of mobility tests in the company’s next-generation spacesuits.
Both remained outside the Dragon ship for about ten minutes, which was then repressurized.
“SpaceX, we’re coming home. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth looks like a perfect world,” he said. Isaacman41, in front of impressive images of the blue planet broadcast live.
Source: Ambito
