U.S. Commercial Cargo Ship Departs Space Station For Earth

The unpiloted SpaceX/Dragon cargo craft departed the International Space Station July 2 bound for a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Long Beach, California. Loaded with valuable science samples and other hardware, Dragon was robotically released by Expedition 52 Flight Engineers Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson, who operated the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm from the cupola work station. The Dragon, which was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket June 3, delivered more than three tons of scientific investigations and supplies for the station’s residents.

Credit: NASA