Video: Fiery SpaceX Dragon streaks across sky after undocking from Space Station
A spectacular sight lit up the night sky as SpaceX's unpiloted Dragon spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere, creating a fiery streak visible for miles before splashing down off the southern California coast.The dramatic return marked the end of SpaceX's 32nd commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA, with the Dragon capsule carrying back a trove of scientific samples and hardware.advertisementAfter undocking from the ISS's Harmony module, Dragon spent nearly two days in orbit before its high-speed descent.
Residents across Southern California reported seeing the brilliant trail and hearing a brief sonic boom as the capsule blazed through the atmosphere as it went through intense heat and friction generated during re-entry.The spacecraft returned with over 3,000 kilogram of cargo, including critical scientific experiments that benefited from the station's unique microgravity environment.Among the returned items was MISSE-20, a suite of materials exposed to the harsh conditions of space to test their resilience against radiation, atomic oxygen, and extreme temperature cycles.These findings are expected to inform the development of future spacecraft shielding and heat-resistant components.These are the first drogue parachutes built entirely in-house by SpaceX. Tested earlier this year, they include key data-driven upgrades such as stronger joints and ribbons and a re-positioned pack for smoother deployment and inflation pic.twitter.com/AQBkJxTJq9— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 25, 2025advertisementAlso aboard was the Astrobee-REACCH demonstration, featuring a robot with tentacle-like arms and adhesive pads designed to grasp and relocate objects in orbit.This technology could one day help capture space debris or service satellites, extending their operational lifespans and protecting valuable assets in low Earth orbit.Dragon's cargo included books from the Story Time from Space project, where astronauts read STEM-themed children's books on the ISS, as well as data from the OPTICA technology demonstration, which tested advanced image compression for faster, more efficient Earth observation data transmission.Must Watch
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