NASA SpaceX Crew-8 back on Earth after 7 months in space, spacecraft splashdown takes place off Florida coast. Watch here

After spending 236 days in space, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, returned back to Earth on the SpaceX Crew-8 mission. 

The Crew Dragon Endeavour executed a successful splashdown on Friday (October 25) off the Florida coast on its way back from the International Space Station. The Crew-8 team undocked from the Harmony module of the ISS aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 5:05 pm EDT.   

The Crew-8 mission have seen the crew orbit the Earth 3,776 times and travel approximately 100,132,895 statute miles. During their 232 days at the space station, they witnessed the arrival and departure of eight visiting spacecraft.

Just four minutes before splashdown, the drogue parachutes deployed at about 18,000 feet while traveling at roughly 350 mph. The main parachutes deployed less than a minute later opening at around 6,000 feet and slowing the spacecraft to about 119 mph. 

NASA and SpaceX recovery teams are positioned nearby to retrieve the capsule and assist the astronauts. After initial medical assessments, the crew will be transported to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for further evaluation and debriefing. 

During their time on the ISS, the Crew-8 astronauts conducted over 200 experiments in various fields, including human health, materials science, and agriculture. Their work aimed to advance knowledge essential for future long-duration space missions and to benefit life on Earth.

This mission represents another successful partnership between NASA and SpaceX under the Commercial Crew Program, aimed at providing safe and cost-effective transportation to and from the ISS. 

NASA’s coverage is live on NASA+ and the agency’s website and will continuing until Dragon’s splashdown and the safe recovery of Crew-8 members.