SpaceX Endurance Lands Safely In Gulf Of Mexico, Brings 4 Astronauts Back To Earth

JAKARTA – The third full-length team of astronauts launched by SpaceX to the International Space Station (ISS) safely returned to Earth on Friday morning, May 6. They landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida to end months of orbital research on everything from space-grown chili peppers to robots.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, dubbed Endurance, carries three NASA astronauts from the US and one European Space Agency (ESA) crew from Germany. The capsule plunged into calm seas in the dark at the end of the more than 23-hour autonomous return flight from the ISS.

The crew of Endurance, which entered orbit on November 11, consisted of American space aviation veteran Tom Marshburn, 61, and three first-time astronauts: NASA's Raja Chari, 44, and Kayla Barron, 34, and their ESA partner Matthias Maurer, 52.

In less than an hour, the hot-burning Crew Dragon was hoisted onto the recovery ship before the capsule's side hatch opened and the four astronauts were helped one by one to their first breath of fresh air in nearly six months.

Still wearing the white-and-black spacesuits, their strength and balance faltered after more than 175 days in a weightless environment. They had to be helped to a special banker when they waved and gave the camera a thumbs up.

Now they each have to undergo regular health checks on board before being flown by helicopter back to Florida.

Applause from SpaceX's flight control center in suburban Los Angeles was heard via Webcast.

The newly returned astronauts are officially designated NASA's "Commercial Crew 3," the third full-length team of four that SpaceX has flown to the space station under contract to the US space agency.

SpaceX, founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, billionaire CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc, which recently bought Twitter (TWTR.N), supplies the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule that now flies NASA astronauts to orbit from US soil.

The company also controlled the flight and handled splashdown recovery, while NASA equipped the crew and launch facilities at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and managed the operations of the US space station.

California-based SpaceX has launched seven human spaceflights over the past two years - five for NASA and two for private ventures - as well as dozens of cargo and satellite payload missions since 2012.

Crew 3 returned to Earth with a payload of about 550 pounds (250 kg), including many of the ISS research samples.

In addition to performing routine maintenance while in orbit about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth, the astronauts contribute to hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations.

Highlights include studies of genetic expression in cotton cells cultured in space, combustion of gas flames in microgravity, and bacterial DNA sequences within the station. Crew members are also testing new robotic devices, harvesting chilies grown in orbit, and conducting experiments in space physics and materials science.

Barron and Chari are going on a space trip to prepare the station for another in a series of new, lightweight solar arrays, for eventual use on Gateway's planned outpost that will orbit the moon.

The return of Crew 3 comes about a week after they welcomed their replacement team, Crew 4, to the space station. One of the three Russian cosmonauts also now inhabiting the station, Oleg Artemyev, took command of the ISS from Marshburn in a handover before Endurance departed Thursday morning.