SpaceX Dragon splashes down
2012-05-31 17:56
-
Us
An old fashioned story by Mary Louisa Molesworth (1836-1921). The author of beloved children's...
Now R150.00
buy now
Cape canaveral - Space Exploration Technologies' unmanned Dragon capsule splashed down off the coast of California on Thursday, completing a pioneering mission for commercial firms seeking a major role in space travel.
The capsule finished a nine-day test flight, delivering about 544kg of supplies to the International Space Station.
Astronauts used the station's robot arm to release Dragon into orbit early on Thursday. It splashed down about 900km southwest of Los Angeles at 11:42 EDT (15:42 GMT.)
Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, is one of two private firms hired by Nasa to fly cargo to the station after the retirement of the space shuttles last year.
Elon Musk, the South African born CEO of SpaceX went to school in Pretoria.
