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Crew-5 successfully splashes down off Florida coast after mission to ISS

Capsule splashed down at 9:02 p.m.

The SpaceX and NASA Crew-5 is back on earth after successfully splashing down after a nearly 6-month long science mission.

The capsule safely kissed the surface of the Gulf of Mexico after all parachutes deployed off of the coast of Tampa.

The U.S.-Russian-Japanese crew spent five months at the International Space Station, arriving last October. Besides dodging space junk, the astronauts had to deal with a pair of leaking Russian capsules docked to the orbiting outpost and the urgent delivery of a replacement craft for the station’s other crew members.

Dragon capsule being lifted onto the recovery vessel after CREW-5 successfully splashed down. (NASA)

Led by NASA’s Nicole Mann, the first Native American woman to fly in space, the astronauts checked out of the station early Saturday morning. Less than 19 hours later, their Dragon capsule was bobbing in the sea as they awaited pickup.

Also onboard is  NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina.

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“That was one heck of a ride,” Mann radioed moments after splashdown. “We’re happy to be home.”

The astronauts docked at the ISS on Oct. 6 and officially undocked to head home on Saturday at 2:20 a.m. after spending 157 days in space.

At 10:30 p.m. NASA will have a return to earth media teleconference from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with:

  • Steve Stich, Manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
  • Joel Montalbano, Manager, International Space Station, NASA Johnson
  • Sarah Walker, Director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
  • Hiroshi Sasaki, Vice President, JAXA

NASA released a map showing where the SpaceX Dragon Endurance will be visible as it streaks through the night sky before splashing down.


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About the Authors
Jacob Langston headshot

Jacob joined ClickOrlando.com in 2022. He spent 19 years at the Orlando Sentinel, mostly as a photojournalist and video journalist, before joining Spectrum News 13 as a web editor and digital journalist in 2021.

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