SpaceX Crew Dragon Set For Historic Splashdown Off Pensacola Coast (Live Video)

August 2, 2020

Teams from NASA and SpaceX are working bring NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley home to Earth aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft….and their historic splashdown is set for Sunday afternoon off the Pensacola coast. It will be the first American astronaut splashdown in 45 years.

Conditions are “Go” at the primary targeted site, in the Gulf of Mexico south of Pensacola, and alternate site off the coast of Panama City for splashdown and recovery Sunday afternoon. The splashdown is set for 1:48 p.m. CDT. Live video scheduled to run through splashdown and recovery is above.

The splashdown will be some 30 miles offshore, so it probably will not be visible from Pensacola Beach.

Hurley and Behnken arrived at the orbiting laboratory in the Crew Dragon May 31 following a launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30. This is SpaceX’s final test flight and is providing data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, splashdown, and recovery operations.

The duo arrived at the orbiting laboratory on May 31, following a successful launch on May 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During their 62 days aboard station, Behnken and Hurley contributed more than 100 hours of time to supporting the orbiting laboratory’s investigations, participated in public engagement events, and supported four spacewalks with Behnken and Cassidy to install new batteries in the station’s power grid and upgrade other station hardware.

Comments

5 Responses to “SpaceX Crew Dragon Set For Historic Splashdown Off Pensacola Coast (Live Video)”

  1. Quality on August 2nd, 2020 3:01 pm

    These folks just went to space and the quality of this live feed looks like we are watching a film from the 60s..

  2. Jtt on August 2nd, 2020 11:13 am

    One for the history books! So proud Pensacola is a backup site. I know it is probably unlikely our area might become a regular return location in future, but I can hope should space flight (at last) become a frequent event if we mine the moon for helium and rare Earth minerals.

    Some friends stayed over night out at sea. Maybe they’ll have a good view of the splashdown.

  3. SkyPilot on August 2nd, 2020 11:07 am

    22 miles off the coast, maybe if you have some a quality scope.

  4. Thomas Paine on August 2nd, 2020 10:48 am

    Splashdown will not be visible from the beach. Current estimate is just over 20 miles offshore.

    SpaceX recovery vessel is being launched from NAS Pensacola.

    Small chance of hearing re-entry sonic boom. Should not be a smoke/vapor trail visible as Dragon will be tracking from south to north.

  5. Kenrick Corwin on August 2nd, 2020 8:59 am

    Will we be able to see it from the beach?