SpaceX capsule with world’s first all-civilian crew returns from orbit

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Sep 20, 2021 06:00 am

The first all-civilian crew ever sent into Earth orbit on the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission safely splashed down in the Atlantic off Florida's coast on Saturday.

The three-day mission ended as the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, dubbed Resilience, parachuted into calm seas around 7pm.

First out of the capsule was Ms Hayely Arceneaux, 29, a physician assistant at St Jude Children's Research Centre in Tennessee, followed by geoscientist and former Nasa astronaut candidate Sian Proctor, 51, aerospace data engineer and Air Force veteran Chris Sembroski, 42, and finally the crew's billionaire benefactor and "mission commander" Jared Isaacman, 38.

SpaceX, the private rocketry company founded by Tesla electric carmaker chief executive Elon Musk, supplied the spacecraft, launched it, controlled its flight and handled the splashdown recovery operation. - REUTERS