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Dragon Commercial Cargo Craft Undocks from ISS

© NASAThe Dragon undocked from the International Space Station to head for the Earth
The Dragon undocked from the International Space Station to head for the Earth - Sputnik International
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The first private spaceship, the Dragon, undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday to head for the Earth, a spokesman for the Russian mission control said.

The first private spaceship, the Dragon, undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday to head for the Earth, a spokesman for the Russian mission control said.

He said the astronauts, Andre Kuipers and Joseph Acaba, detached the cargo craft, which will take back 600 kg of redundant items from the ISS to Earth, with the help of the station’s 17-meter crane Canadarm.

“The spacecraft is expected to land in the Pacific area at 19.44 Moscow time,” the Russian space official said.

The Dragon’s bell-shaped capsule is scheduled to plunge into the water about 400 nautical miles (740 km) southwest of Los Angeles. Three rescue boats will fetch the capsule while two special planes will be tracking the landing.

The Dragon spaceship is owned by U.S. company SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies), which took four years to design it. In December 2010, the Dragon made its first flight into orbit and then successfully landed in the Pacific.

The second Dragon was launched on May 22 from Cape Canaveral. On May 25, it docked with the ISS after a series of tests.

The United States has been without its own transportation to the station since the space shuttles were retired last year. Rather than build and operate a government-owned replacement, Nasa is investing in companies such as SpaceX with the intention of buying rides for its cargo - and eventually astronauts - on commercial vehicles, a far cheaper alternative, IOL said.

 

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