The first astronauts launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX company departed the International Space Station on Saturday night for the final and most important part of their test flight: returning to Earth with a rare splashdown. NASA's Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken bid farewell to the three men left behind as their SpaceX Dragon capsule undocked and headed toward a Sunday afternoon descent by parachute into the Gulf of Mexico. Astronauts Bob Behnken, front left, and Doug Hurley, front right, are expected to splash down in the Atlantic off Florida on Sunday. The flag — which also flew on the first shuttle flight in 1981 — became a prize for the company that launched astronauts first. The next SpaceX crew flight is targeted for the end of September.

Source: CBC News August 02, 2020 03:56 UTC