After 170 days in area, 4 astronauts splashed down within the Atlantic Ocean on Friday, bringing an finish to a profitable NASA-SpaceX mission to the International Space Station.

Following two days of climate delays, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Freedom returned to Earth off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, beneath clear blue skies and into gentle seas. The spacecraft’s descent by Earth’s environment seemed to be nominal, with two drogue parachutes deploying on schedule, adopted by 4 clear primary parachutes, permitting Dragon to splash down at about 25 km per hour.

“SpaceX, from Freedom, thanks for an unbelievable experience as much as orbit and an unbelievable experience dwelling,” Kjell Lindgren, the NASA commander of the spacecraft, mentioned after touchdown.

Lindgren led a mission that included NASA astronauts Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, in addition to European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. Upon touchdown, the spacecraft was met by two SpaceX “quick boats” which secured the toasty-looking car earlier than it was introduced on board the Megan restoration ship, named after Megan McArthur, an astronaut aboard an earlier SpaceX flight.

This mission, Crew-4, was the fourth operational mission flown by SpaceX for NASA. Earlier this month, the Crew-5 mission launched 4 astronauts to the area station, the place they are going to stay for about six months. Including an preliminary demonstration mission in 2020, and two non-public spaceflights—Inspiration4 and Axiom-1—Crew Dragon has now carried 30 individuals into orbit.

In just a little greater than two years, SpaceX has surpassed the full variety of astronauts launched into orbit by China, whose human spaceflight program dates again to 2003; and within the time Crew Dragon has been operational, it has exceeded even the Russian Soyuz car by way of the full variety of individuals flown into area throughout that interval.

Over the final two years Dragon had a number of flaws, together with an intermittently problematic rest room and a lagging parachute on one flight, however NASA officers have been extraordinarily happy with the car’s efficiency. It has safely returned the United States’ functionality of human spaceflight, which had been misplaced for the reason that area shuttle’s retirement. Had Dragon not been accessible, NASA would have been within the uncomfortable place of counting on Russia for crew transport amid the Ukraine struggle.

Crew-5 was the final launch of 2022 for SpaceX’s Dragon car, however two missions are anticipated throughout the first quarter of 2023. In February, the launch of Crew 6 is deliberate, to be commanded by NASA astronaut Steve Bowen alongside pilot Warren Hoburg. In addition, there can be two mission specialists, Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, and United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi.

Then, as early as March, entrepreneur Jared Isaacman will fly his second Dragon free flyer mission, Polaris Dawn, with the purpose of performing the world’s first non-public EVA and conducting analysis to advance human spaceflight. Alongside him can be pilot Scott Poteet in addition to two mission specialists, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who work for SpaceX. They would be the firm’s first workers to fly in area on Dragon.