This image from video provided by NASA shows the SpaceX capsule as it departs the International Space Station on Saturday (NASA/AP)A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts departed the International Space Station late on Saturday, aiming for a rare night time splashdown to end the company’s second crew flight. NASA’s Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi headed home in the same Dragon capsule that delivered them to the space station last November. The capsule of the first SpaceX crew was surrounded by pleasure boaters last summer, posing a safety risk. The four should have been back by now, but high offshore wind kept them at the space station for a few extra days. Saturday night’s undocking left seven astronauts at the space station: three Americans, two Russians, one Japanese and one French.

Source: Irish Independent May 02, 2021 01:52 UTC