Dragon returns home

WASHINGTON: A SpaceX reusable cargo ship splashed down in the Pacific Ocean safely on Sunday, ending a mission to supply astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), the company said.

The Dragon capsule — the only such vessel capable of returning research samples and other material to Earth — remained docked with the ISS for nearly a month after delivering more than two tonnes of food, water and scientific equipment for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Feb 23.

Released by the ISS’s robot arm, the capsule undertook a more than six-hour journey back to Earth, landing off the coast of Mexico, its final descent slowed by three giant parachutes. AFP