SpaceX's Dragon, the world's first commercial cargo craft to visit the International Space Station, was unberthed and released from the Harmony node Sunday morning (Oct. 28).
Dragon is returning to Earth with 1,673 pounds (759 kilograms) of science experiment results, crew equipment and spent hardware.
ISS Expedition 33 commander Suni Williams and flight engineer Aki Hoshide monitored the Dragon spacecraft as ground controllers used the station's robotic arm Canadarm2 to grapple the cargo craft. After its release, Dragon will begin a series of thruster firings to carry it away from the space station, closes its GNC door, and begins its deorbit burn.
Ready to reenter the atmosphere, Dragon jettisons its trunk and solar arrays, positions itself so that its PICA-X heat shield faces the Earth, and proceeds into the Earth's atmosphere.
When Dragon reaches 45,000 feet (13,700 meters) above sea level, it will deploy two drogue parachutes to slow its descent. At 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), it will deploy its three main parachutes and drift slowly toward the splashdown site. Splashdown is expected to take place at approximately 2:20 p.m. CDT (1920 GMT).
After Dragon is secured, the SpaceX team will then place the vehicle on the deck of a 100-foot boat for the journey back to shore. Early-arrival cargo will be delivered to NASA within 48 hours of landing. Dragon will then travel from Southern California to SpaceX's facility in McGregor, Texas, where the remaining cargo will be unloaded and processed for delivery to NASA.
[b]Dragon Operations Schedule for Sunday, Oct. 28[/b] [list][*]6:55 a.m. CDT (1155 GMT) - Dragon unberth
Actual time: 6:19 a.m. CDT (1119 GMT)
[*]8:26 a.m. CDT (1326 GMT) - Dragon release
Actual time: 8:29 a.m. CDT (1329 GMT)
[*]1:28 p.m. CDT (1828 GMT) - Deorbit burn
[*]2:20 p.m. CDT (1920 GMT) - Splashdown
Actual time: 2:22 p.m. CDT (1922 GMT)[/list]