Astronauts

The Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft loaded onto the MV Megan ship after splashdown (Image NASA TV)

A little while ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft concluded its Crew-8, or SpaceX Crew-8, mission for NASA by landing without problems. On board were astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, who had reached the International Space Station on March 5, 2024, and were part of Expedition 70/71/72. The four of them finished the 8th regular crewed mission of SpaceX in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Florida. The Crew Dragon departed the Station about 34 hours earlier.

Shortly after the splashdown, SpaceX’s “MV Megan” ship went to recover the Endeavour and its crew to transport them to the coast. The astronauts also received their first medical checkup aboard the ship.

The Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft docked with the International Space Station in its Crew-9 mission (NASA TV)

A few hours ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft docked with the Harmony module of the International Space Station completing the first part of its Crew-9 or SpaceX Crew-9 mission that began with its launch about 28 hours earlier. After checking that the pressure gets properly balanced, the hatch will be opened to allow Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov to enter the Station and start their mission, which will last about five months.

The Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft blasting off atop a Falcon 9 rocket in its Crew-9 mission (Image NASA TV)

A little while ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in its Crew-9 or SpaceX Crew-9 mission. After almost exactly twelve minutes, it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and went en route to carry out its mission. This is the 9th crewed mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft within the normal rotation of the International Space Station crew.

The Soyuz MS-25 capsule after landing (Image NASA TV)

A little while ago, cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub and astronaut Tracy Caldwell-Dyson returned to Earth on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft, which landed in Kazakhstan. Kononenko and Chub completed a one-year mission on the International Space Station while Caldwell-Dyson spent almost exactly 6 months on the Station.

The Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft ends its Polaris Dawn mission splashing down (Image courtesy SpaceX)

A little while ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft concluded its Polaris Dawn mission splashing down without problems. Onboard were Jared Isaacman, Sarah Gillis, Anna Menon, and Scott Poteet, who finished this completely private space mission in the Gulf of Mexico. Shortly after the splashdown, the SpaceX ship went to retrieve the Crew Dragon and its crew to transport them to the coast.