SpaceX Dragon capsule returns to Earth in fireball in most dramatic moment of pioneering journey
Successful splashdown changed how Nasa sends astronauts into space
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Your support makes all the difference.SpaceX’s brand new crew capsule has splashed down on Earth – and might have changed the future of space travel as it did.
It dropped into the Atlantic Ocean, right on time, bringing an end to a mission that went entirely successfully and paves the way for the capsule to carry astronauts to space.
The Dragon capsule pulled away from the orbiting lab early Friday, a test dummy named Ripley its lone occupant. It’s aiming for a morning splashdown in the Atlantic off Florida’s coast, the final hurdle of the six-day test flight. Saturday’s launch and Sunday’s docking were spot on.
NASA astronauts have been stuck riding Russian rockets since space shuttles retired eight years ago. NASA is counting on SpaceX and Boeing to start launching astronauts this year. SpaceX is aiming for summer.
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Bridenstine says this plan is part of a movement towards a "sustainable return to the Moon". It's just one a whole host of different things that need to be done to get humans back there – then stay there, and ultimately go on to Mars.
With that, our live coverage comes to an end. But we'll be covering all of the rest of the news on The Independent, as the capsule is recovered and then analysed over the hours and days to come, and you can catch up here.
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