NASA’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will be making its final splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean next year . The upcoming Crew-9 mission, set to launch no earlier than August 18, 2024, could be the last to conclude with a landing off the U.S. East Coast.
The change comes after recent incidents involving debris from the spacecraft’s trunk sections, which house fuel and electrical supplies, falling into populated areas. A 3 foot slab of debris believed to be from the reentry of Space X’s Crew 7 mission was found on a mountain trail in North Carolina in May. That Crew Dragon capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico in March.
During a Crew-9 press conference held today (July 26th), SpaceX’s director of Dragon mission management, Sarah Walker, revealed the plans to move splashdowns to the U.S. Pacific coast starting with Crew-10. “We’ll implement a software change to complete the deorbit burn before jettisoning the trunk, ensuring it lands in unpopulated ocean areas,” Walker explained. This measure aims to mitigate the risk posed by falling debris and enhance safety protocols. Space X will be moving a Crew Dragon recovery vessel to the Pacific next year, Walker said.
Walker said the Pacific coast offers more favorable conditions for landing operations, with fewer extreme weather events compared to the Atlantic. This shift could lead to more predictable scheduling for the end of crewed missions, further optimizing mission logistics to a degree, but the Dragon capsules still must be returned to Florida for refurbishment.
