SpaceX brings back to Earth two American astronauts who spent two months in orbit. If the American company succeeds, it will be qualified to provide future astronaut transport missions on behalf of NASA. The return can be tracked live.
The mission in summary
- What? The return to Earth of two American astronauts via a SpaceX capsule;
- When? August 2, 2020, at 1:34 am (for undocking) and 8:42 pm (for landing), Paris time;
- Or ? Off Florida, in the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico and on the nasa channel ;
- What will we see? The return to Earth of Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, who will have spent two months aboard the International Space Station. SpaceX is responsible for bringing them back, after having sent them to the ISS.
What is the mission?
On board the International Space Station (ISS) since May 31, 2020, American astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are preparing to return to Earth after two months spent in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of 400 kilometers. For this flight, SpaceX will provide a capsule, the Crew Dragon. The company had already taken care of the outbound flight.
The “shuttles” between the Earth and the ISS have been provided for twenty years by the American and Russian space agencies. What changes here is that the transport is provided by a private company – American in this case. This is a first, but it is a sign that NASA is moving on (the Moon and Mars) and that it can pass the baton to SpaceX, which is up to the task of transporting astronauts.
This return flight is the final stretch to definitively qualify SpaceX for this task. In this regard, the company has performed flawlessly so far: it has been practicing for years now and is used to refueling the ISS – so it is used to these operations. In addition, SpaceX passed a similar test last year, but with an empty capsule.
When this last step is validated, SpaceX will be able to officially move on to operational missions with standard and larger crews. The first team, which has four members, is already ready. Frenchman Thomas Pesquet should also embark on board in 2021 when he returns to the ISS. And soon, the USA will also be able to count on Boeing, which is also training.
For the United States, this very last step will give the country back its space autonomy after a hiatus of almost ten years – since 2011 and the withdrawal of the American space shuttle, precipitated after a second disaster in 2003, Washington had to rely on Moscow to join the ISS. A situation that was a tad annoying for the first power in space.
Date of astronaut return
The return of Robert Behnken et Douglas Hurley will be carried out all weekend long August 1 and 2, 2020. Once the two astronauts are on board the capsule, the undocking to the International Space Station will take place at 1:34 am on August 1, Paris time. The actual water landing will take place the next day, August 2, at 8:42 p.m. They must arrive in the Atlantic Ocean or in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Florida.
One week until the first astronauts to launch from America since 2011 return to Earth ! ???????????? Here’s what to watch in the days leading up to splashdown on August 2… https://t.co/MwJdx6dhJJ pic.twitter.com/xtjQEH3zF2
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) July 26, 2020
How to follow the live water landing
It will be possible to witness the return of the two astronauts live thanks to the NASA YouTube channel. You can enjoy it by directly launching the embedded video below.
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The continuation in video
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