SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft made a fiery comeback Saturday night — and let’s just say, it did not arrive quietly.
The uncrewed capsule, fresh off its month-long stint at the International Space Station, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Oceanside, California, at 10:45 p.m. PT on May 24, according to NASA.
And if you live in SoCal and thought you heard Thor slamming his hammer — nope, that was just the sonic boom from Dragon’s high-speed dive through the atmosphere.
This wasn’t just a joyride, though. The capsule returned with a hefty 6,700 pounds of cargo. We’re talking science experiments, space station gear, and some seriously futuristic tech ready for lab work back on Earth.
Among the spacey souvenirs? A batch of materials from the MISSE-20 experiment that got blasted by space radiation to test their toughness — basically, space’s version of “Survivor.”
Also on board: the Astrobee-REACCH robot arms. Think WALL-E with a grip. These nifty bots tested how they can grab and move stuff aboard the station. NASA’s basically building the ultimate space butler.
NASA confirmed the splashdown on its official blog, and fans are loving the spectacle.
And yes — the boom was real. CBS News said many Southern Californians were startled by the sound, with some even calling authorities thinking it was an earthquake or, you know, aliens.
Dragon’s return wraps up the 32nd Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA — part of a long-running tag team effort between Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the space agency to keep the ISS stocked and science humming.
So if you’re in California and heard a sky-rattling bang Saturday night — don’t worry. It wasn’t Godzilla. It was just Dragon coming home.