The third long-duration team of astronauts launched by SpaceX to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA safely departed the orbiting outpost early on May 5 to begin their descent back to Earth, capping a six-month science mission.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying three U.S. NASA astronauts and a German astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA) undocked from the ISS shortly after 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT) to embark on a return flight expected to last about 23 hours. A live video showing the capsule moving away from the station was shown on a NASA webcast.
Wearing helmeted white-and-black spacesuits, the four astronauts were seen strapped into the crew cabin shortly before the spacecraft separated from the space station, orbiting some 250 miles (400 km) above the Earth. A few brief rocket thrusts then autonomously pushed the capsule safely clear of the ISS.
