Capsule splashes down after Space Station visit

CAPE CANAVERAL: A Space Exploration Technologies Dragon cargo capsule made a parachute splashdown into the Pacific Ocean yesterday, wrapping up a five-week stay at the International Space Station.

The capsule blasted off on April 14 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and arrived at the orbiting outpost three days later with two tons of food, supplies and science experiments for the live-aboard crew.

The capsule was repacked with 1 400kg of science samples and other equipment and released back into orbit on Thursday for a return trip to Earth, a Nasa TV broadcast showed.

Riding beneath a trio of parachutes, the capsule landed in the Pacific about 249km south-west of Long Beach, California, Nasa said. The returning cargo includes roundworms which are part of a medical study to assess physiological changes that affect ageing. A second investigation is looking into how microgravity changes muscle fibre, information which may provide insight into mitigating astronauts’ loss of muscle mass during longduration flights.

SpaceX, as the privately owned company is known, is one of two firms hired by the US space agency, Nasa, to fly cargo to the station following the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011. Owned and run by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, SpaceX made a test run to the station in May 2012 and is now halfway through its original 12-flight, $1.6 billion contract. Last year Nasa added three more flights to SpaceX’s agreement.

SpaceX’s next launch to the station is due on June 26.

Nasa’s second supply line to the station is grounded, following a launch accident in October. The contractor, Orbital ATK, is revamping its Antares rocket and hopes to fly again in March. – Reuters

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