Bridenstine Has Confirmed August 2 As The Target Splashdown Date

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has confirmed August 2 as the target splashdown date for DM-2 crew members Behnken and Hurley, with additional details on the return of this historic mission to come.

A twitter message got the news rolling with, "We're targeting an Aug. 1 departure of @SpaceX's Dragon Endeavour spacecraft from the @Space_Station to bring @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug home after their historic #LaunchAmerica mission. Splashdown is targeted for Aug. 2. Weather will drive the actual date. Stay tuned."

Endeavour's arrival in late may was actually the second arrival and autonomous docking to the International Space Station for a Crew Dragon spacecraft and the first time any commercially built spacecraft delivered astronauts to the orbiting laboratory.

Known as NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2, the mission has served as an end-to-end test flight to validate the SpaceX crew transportation system, including launch, in-orbit, docking and landing operations and pave the way for its certification for regular crew flights to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

For operational missions, Crew Dragon will be able to launch as many as four crew members and carry more than 220 pounds of cargo, enabling the expansion of the inhabitants of the space station, increasing the time dedicated to research in the unique microgravity environment, and returning more science back to Earth.

In the meantime; the docking of a Russian cargo spacecraft delivering almost three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) is set for later next week.

On Thursday, July 23rd, the uncrewed Russian Progress 76 is scheduled to launch on a Soyuz rocket at 10:26 a.m. (7:26 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 1 p.m., with the Progress spacecraft expected to automatically link up to the Pirs docking compartment on the station's Russian segment at 1:47 p.m.

Progress 76 will remain docked at the station for more than four months, departing in December for its deorbit into Earth's atmosphere.

FMI: www.nasa.gov