Inspiration4 crew member Jared Isaacman seen on their first day in space in this handout photo released on September 17, 2021. SpaceX/Handout via REUTERS
The quartet of citizen astronauts comprising the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission began their descent from space en route to a splashdown in the Atlantic on Saturday to complete a three-day flight of the first all-civilian crew ever launched into Earth orbit.
In preparation for their return to Earth, the SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle conducted two rocket thruster “burns” on Friday to lower its altitude and line up the capsule’s trajectory with the targeted landing zone.
Early on Saturday, the crew donned their helmeted flight suits and made final cabin preparations as the spacecraft continued its autonomous sequence of return maneuvers, including separation from the vehicle’s lower auxiliary trunk to expose the capsule’s heat shield.
Following a final 15-minute ignition of its forward thrusters for a “de-orbit burn,” the capsule was expected to re-enter the atmosphere for its plunge to the ocean below, during which crew communications will be lost for about seven minutes.
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The Dragon capsule, dubbed Resilience, is scheduled to parachute into the sea around 7 p.m. Eastern time, shortly before sunset, according to SpaceX, the private rocketry company founded by Tesla Inc electric automaker CEO Elon Musk.
Recovery vessels will then be dispatched to the splashdown site to retrieve the crew and Dragon capsule.
