SpaceX safely returns 4 astronauts from ISS to Earth; rare night splashdown

SpaceX safely returns 4 astronauts from ISS to Earth; rare night splashdown

SpaceX safely returns 4 astronauts from ISS to Earth; rare night splashdown

35 minutes ago

Astronaut Mike Hopkins is helped out of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, US, on Sunday. Reuters

SpaceX safely returned four astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, making the first US crew splashdown in darkness since the Apollo 8 moonshot.

The Dragon capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, just before 3am, ending the second astronaut flight for Elon Musk’s company.

It was an express trip home, lasting just 6 1/2 hours.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule lands into the Gulf of Mexico. AP

The astronauts, three American and one Japanese, flew back in the same capsule — named Resilience — in which they launched from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre in November.

"We welcome you back to planet Earth and thanks for flying SpaceX,” SpaceX's Mission Control radioed moments after splashdown. "For those of you enrolled in our frequent flyer programme, you've earned 68 million miles on this voyage.”

Astronauts (From L to R) Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins and Soichi Noguchi react inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft. AFP

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