A little while ago SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavor spacecraft ended its SpX-DM2 (SpaceX Demonstration Mission 2) or SpaceX Demo-2 mission on behalf of NASA by landing without problems. On board were American astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who finished SpaceX’s first crewed mission in the Atlantic Ocean off Pensacola, Florida. The Crew Dragon left the International Space Station almost a day earlier. Shortly after splashing down, the SpaceX ship called “Go Navigator” went to retrieve the Crew Dragon and its crew to transport them to the coast.

The Demo-2 mission lasted just over two months as Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley reached the International Space Station on May 31. The two astronauts joined the Station Expedition 63 crew, but weren’t part of the regular rotation because this was a test mission and there were no precise start and end dates. They still participated in the normal research and maintenance activities on board the Station.

Bob Behnken also participated in four spacewalks together with his colleague Chris Cassidy to complete the installation of new batteries and perform other maintenance work outside the Station: the one on June 26, which lasted just over 6 hours, the one on July 1, which lasted almost exactly 6 hours, the on on July 16, which lasted 6 hours, and the one on July 21, which lasted approximately 5 and a half hours.

The splashdown was immediately a test for NASA due to the presence of a hurricane that hit an area that includes some of the possible descent points for the Endeavor spacecraft. It was the first splashdown for American astronauts in 45 years and the weather conditions led NASA to immediately take advantage of the possibility of splashing down in 7 different points. The astronauts could stay in orbit for up to 48 hours, so there were several choices. The final choice was made after the departure from the Station based on the weather conditions.

If the results of the Crew Dragon spacecraft’s exam are satisfactory, NASA will confirm the next mission of a Crew Dragon, designated as USCV-1 (US Crew Vehicle-1) or Crew-1, for the next fall. In this case, the astronauts will be part of the regular rotation of the crew of the International Space Station. This will mark the beginning of a regular activity for the Crew Dragon, NASA and SpaceX’s goal. The Crew Dragon that just splashed down could be reused for the next mission. That would be a complete tryumph for NASA and SpaceX.