{"id":55739,"date":"2019-03-08T15:52:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T19:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-441217"},"modified":"2023-07-26T15:16:06","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T19:16:06","slug":"spacex-crew-dragon-splashdown-marks-success-of-first-nasa-commercial-crew-flight-test","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/spacex-crew-dragon-splashdown-marks-success-of-first-nasa-commercial-crew-flight-test\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashdown Marks Success of First NASA Commercial Crew Flight Test"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"627\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon splashed down at 8:45 a.m. March 8, 2019, in the Atlantic Ocean\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png 3300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?resize=300,92 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?resize=768,235 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?resize=1024,314 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?resize=1536,471 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?resize=2048,627 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?resize=400,123 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?resize=600,184 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?resize=900,276 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?resize=1200,368 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?resize=2000,613 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Completing an end-to-end uncrewed flight test, Demo-1, SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon departed the International Space Station at 2:32 a.m. EST Friday, March 8, 2019, and splashed down at 8:45 a.m. in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 nautical miles off the Florida coast. <strong>Credits: NASA Television<\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>NASA passed a major milestone Friday in its goal to restore America\u2019s human spaceflight capability when SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon returned to Earth after a five-day mission docked to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/main\/index.html\">International Space Station<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About 6 hours after departing the space station, Crew Dragon splashed down at 8:45 a.m. EST approximately 230 miles off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. SpaceX retrieved the spacecraft from the Atlantic Ocean and is transporting it back to port on the company\u2019s recovery ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cToday\u2019s successful re-entry and recovery of the Crew Dragon capsule after its first mission to the International Space Station marked another important milestone in the future of human spaceflight,\u201d said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. \u201cI want to once again congratulate the NASA and SpaceX teams on an incredible week. Our Commercial Crew Program is one step closer to launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil. I am proud of the great work that has been done to get us to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Demonstration Mission-1 (Demo-1) was an uncrewed flight test designed to demonstrate a new commercial capability developed under NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/exploration\/commercial\/crew\/index.html\">Commercial Crew Program<\/a>. The mission began March 2, when the Crew Dragon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-spacex-launch-first-flight-test-of-space-system-designed-for-crew\">launched<\/a> from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and racked up a number of \u201cfirsts\u201d in less than a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>First commercially-built and operated American crew spacecraft and rocket to launch from American soil on a mission to the space station.<\/li><li>First commercially-built and operated American crew spacecraft to dock with the space station.<\/li><li>First autonomous docking of a U.S. spacecraft to the International Space Station.<\/li><li>First use of a new, global design standard for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/meet-the-international-docking-adapter\">adapters<\/a> that connect the space station and Crew Dragon, and also will be used for the Orion spacecraft for NASA\u2019s future mission to the Moon.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA and SpaceX teams gathered in the early morning hours at the company\u2019s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, to follow the spacecraft\u2019s return journey and ocean splashdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were all very excited to see re-entry, parachute and drogue deploy, main deploy, splashdown \u2013 everything happened just perfectly. It was right on time, the way that we expected it to be. It was beautiful,\u201d said Benji Reed, director of crew mission management at SpaceX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A critical step in validating the performance of SpaceX\u2019s systems, Demo-1 brings the nation a significant step closer to the return of human launches to the space station from U.S soil for the first time since 2011, when NASA flew its last space shuttle mission. However, NASA and SpaceX still have work to do to validate the spacecraft\u2019s performance and prepare it to fly astronauts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you just think about the enormity of this flight and all of the prep that went into it \u2013 getting the pad refurbished, getting the flight control room set up, getting the vehicle built, getting the Falcon 9 ready, all of the analysis and mission support that went into it \u2013 it\u2019s just been a tremendous job. Our NASA and SpaceX teams worked seamlessly not only in the lead-up to the flight but in how we managed the flight,\u201d said Steve Stich, deputy manager of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crew Dragon carried a passenger on this flight test \u2013 a lifelike test device named Ripley, which was outfitted with sensors to provide data about potential effects on humans traveling in the spacecraft. After SpaceX processes data from this mission, teams will begin refurbishing Crew Dragon for its next mission, an in-flight abort test targeted to take place this summer. Demo-2, the first crewed test flight, will carry NASA astronauts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/robert-l-behnken\">Bob Behnken<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/douglas-g-hurley\">Doug Hurley<\/a> on the spacecraft\u2019s final flight to certify Crew Dragon for routine operational missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFor the first time, we\u2019ve gotten to see an end-to-end test, and so now we\u2019ve brought together the people, the hardware and all the processes and procedures, and we\u2019ve gotten to see how they all work together, and that\u2019s very important as we move toward putting people onboard,\u201d said NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, who will crew SpaceX\u2019s first operational mission to the space station following Demo-2. \u201cI\u2019m, personally, very anxious to hear how Ripley is feeling after they pull her out of the capsule and get her onto the recovery vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more about NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew program at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/commercialcrew\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>-end-<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Josh Finch \/ Stephanie Schierholz<br \/>\nHeadquarters, Washington<br \/>\n202-358-1100<br \/>\njoshua.a.finch@nasa.gov \/ stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov<br \/>\nStephanie Martin \/ Marie Lewis<br \/>\nKennedy Space Center, Fla.<br \/>\n321-867-2468<br \/>\nstephanie.a.martin@nasa.gov \/ marie.g.lewis@nasa.gov<br \/>\nKyle Herring \/ Dan Huot <br \/>\nJohnson Space Center, Houston<br \/>\n281-483-5111<br \/>\nkyle.j.herring@nasa.gov \/ daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA passed a major milestone Friday in its goal to restore America\u2019s human spaceflight capability when SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon returned to Earth after a five-day mission docked to the International Space Station. About 6 hours after departing the space station, Crew Dragon splashed down at 8:45 a.m. EST approximately 230 miles off the coast of [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":58163,"template":"","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"19-016","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"RELEASE","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[]},"categories":[3191,2801,3219,8364,2735,2861,2862,2867],"news-tags":[10561,9534],"internal-terms":[10560,9508],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashdown Marks Success of First NASA Commercial Crew Flight Test","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/spacex-crew-dragon-splashdown-marks-success-of-first-nasa-commercial-crew-flight-test\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/spacex-crew-dragon-splashdown-marks-success-of-first-nasa-commercial-crew-flight-test\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png"},"articleSection":"Missions","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NASA"}],"creator":["NASA"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["NASA Centers & Facilities","NASA Headquarters","Commercial Crew","Commercial Space","Commercial Space Programs","Expedition 58","International Space Station (ISS)","Johnson Space Center","Kennedy Space Center"],"dateCreated":"2019-03-08T19:52:00Z","datePublished":"2019-03-08T19:52:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T19:16:06Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashdown Marks Success of First NASA Commercial Crew Flight Test\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/spacex-crew-dragon-splashdown-marks-success-of-first-nasa-commercial-crew-flight-test\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2019-03-08T19:52:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities,NASA Headquarters,Commercial Crew,Commercial Space,Commercial Space Programs,Expedition 58,International Space Station (ISS),Johnson Space Center,Kennedy Space Center\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":5,"featured_image":{"id":58163,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dm1-splashdown.png","title":"dm1-splashdown","alt":"SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon splashed down at 8:45 a.m. March 8, 2019, in the Atlantic Ocean","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/55739"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/55739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":186156,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/55739\/revisions\/186156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55739"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=55739"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=55739"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=55739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}