Dragon Deorbit Burn Complete; Next Up, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Splashdown

[Link]NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick is seen inside the SpaceX Dragon capsule as NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 crew members return to Earth on Oct. 25, 2024. Next to him is NASA astronaut Michael Barratt and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin. Dragon is scheduled to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 3:29 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA TV

After 236 days in space, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, are less than an hour away from returning to Earth on the agency's SpaceX Crew-8 mission.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft completed its deorbit burn as expected ahead of splashdown targeted for approximately 3:29 a.m. EDT off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.

Upon splashdown, Crew-8 will have orbited the Earth 3,776 times and traveled approximately 100,132,895 statute miles. In their 232 days spent aboard the space station, they also saw the arrival and departure of eight visiting spacecraft.

Four minutes before splashdown, the drogue parachutes will deploy at about 18,000 feet in altitude while Dragon is moving approximately 350 miles per hour. Less than a minute later, the main parachutes will deploy at about 6,000 feet in altitude while the spacecraft is moving approximately 119 miles per hour.

NASA's live coverage will continue on NASA+ and the agency's website until the crew is recovered from the spacecraft.

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