At 12:22 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), on Sunday, October 28, 2012, the Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) off the coast of southern California in the United States.
Thus, it completed its first official cargo resupply mission, called CRS-1 (short for Commercial Resupply Services mission 1), to the International Space Station.
According to a statement made by Elon Musk, the chief executive officer and chief technical officer of SpaceX, after the spacecraft completed its mission, "This historic mission signifies the restoration of America’s ability to deliver and return critical space station cargo. The reliability of SpaceX’s technology and the strength of our partnership with NASA provide a strong foundation for future missions and achievements to come.”
The SpaceX press release, "Dragon Spacecraft Returns to Earth in First Official Cargo Resupply Mission to Space Station," continues with "Dragon departed the station early this morning with 1,673 pounds of return cargo including hardware, supplies, and a GLACIER freezer packed with scientific samples. Dragon is the only craft capable of returning a significant amount of supplies to Earth, and this mission marks the first time since the space shuttle that NASA has been able to return research samples for analysis."
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From there, it will be transported to the SpaceX test and processing facility at McGregor, Texas, where its cargo with be delivered to NASA.
The above image of the October 28, 2012 post-splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft is courtesy of SpaceX.
SpaceX states, "The mission, called CRS-1, began October 7, when the Falcon 9 rocket launched Dragon from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station."
And, "This mission is the first of at least 12 to the International Space Station that SpaceX will fly under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract."
The YouTube video Splashdown! SpaceX Dragon Returns to Earth shows the end of the historic mission of Dragon to the Space Station and back to Earth.
