SpaceX Dragon capsule returns to Earth in fireball in most dramatic moment of pioneering journey

Successful splashdown changed how Nasa sends astronauts into space

SpaceX Dragon lands in the Atlantic Ocean, changing the future of Nasa space travel

SpaceX’s brand new crew capsule has splashed down on Earth – and might have changed the future of space travel as it did.

It dropped into the Atlantic Ocean, right on time, bringing an end to a mission that went entirely successfully and paves the way for the capsule to carry astronauts to space.

The Dragon capsule pulled away from the orbiting lab early Friday, a test dummy named Ripley its lone occupant. It’s aiming for a morning splashdown in the Atlantic off Florida’s coast, the final hurdle of the six-day test flight. Saturday’s launch and Sunday’s docking were spot on.

NASA astronauts have been stuck riding Russian rockets since space shuttles retired eight years ago. NASA is counting on SpaceX and Boeing to start launching astronauts this year. SpaceX is aiming for summer.

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[8 March 2019 12:28 · Andrew Griffin]

The next 90 minutes or will be among the most intense parts of the mission: the capsule will slowly force itself out of orbit and towards the Earth, plunge through the atmosphere at such speed it will heat the outside up very intensely, and then splash down in the ocean. And if all that works, SpaceX will have made a big step towards being allowed to get astronauts into space.

[8 March 2019 12:30 · Andrew Griffin]

(For context, there's no way the US can do this at the moment: its hope was always the Space Shuttle programme, so when that was cancelled it was left without a way of travelling up and down. Now it has to rely on the Russian space agency, which it pays to take astronauts to the ISS.

If this works, it could change all that, by completing a plan to let private US companies build the rockets and capsules that will allow them to fly to space again. So it's a big day for Nasa and space travel generally, as well as SpaceX.)

[8 March 2019 12:31 · Andrew Griffin]

The coverage is now LIVE! We're seeing footage of the Dragon capsule being tested out and worked on.

[8 March 2019 12:33 · Andrew Griffin]

We're not going to see every part of the mission because of a communications blackout. But we should be able to follow along and hear most of the important parts.

[8 March 2019 12:36 · Andrew Griffin]

The first bit is the trunk separation, when the Dragon capsule will drop off a part of craft that includes things like a solar array for generating power. (The crew capsule has been moving away from the International Space Station to make sure there's no collision when that happens.) That will get it ready to drop back down to Earth.

[8 March 2019 12:39 · Andrew Griffin]

If this all goes well, there's one more important test the capsule has to pass: an abort one, which will ensure that it's possible for the capsule to escape if something awful goes wrong during a future launch. Then, it will be approved, and astronauts (who have already been chosen) will climb into it and head up to space later this year.

[8 March 2019 12:44 · Andrew Griffin]

While we wait, here's a beautiful picture snapped from onboard by the ISS by astronaut Anne McClain. Though it shows the capsule's approach, the two spacecraft are in something like this arrangement now – floating together through space but separated by some distance.

[8 March 2019 12:46 · Andrew Griffin]

Here's the scene inside SpaceX – the equivalent of that iconic view of mission control at Nasa. People are starting to gather at the back, as you can see, to watch the big moment.

[8 March 2019 12:48 · Andrew Griffin]

We're just waiting for the trunk separation now. That'll be the last bit before it starts dropping and heading towards the atmosphere.

[8 March 2019 12:50 · Andrew Griffin]

The trunk is separated! Goodbye trunk! Unlike the capsule, it won't come back down, floating around and then burning up in space.