SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to splash down in Pacific for first time — how to watch

SpaceX is preparing to bring home the Fram2 crew, who launched into orbit on a private mission on Monday.

The Crew Dragon and its four crewmembers will splash down off the coast of California on Friday, marking the first Crew Dragon mission to land in the Pacific Ocean.

Previously, Crew Dragon capsules landed off the coast of Florida, but SpaceX has decided to switch the landing zone to the Pacific to eliminate risks on the ground involving fragments of the trunk section that jettison during descent.

SpaceX initially used the Pacific for the first uncrewed Dragon supply missions, but switched to the East Coast in 2019.    

How to watch

The Fram2 mission is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, April 4. The Crew Dragon’s homecoming will be livestreamed on SpaceX’s X account. Timings for the broadcast will be announced soon.

More about the mission

Sponsored by cryptocurrency entrepreneur Chun Wang, Fram2 is the first-ever crewed mission to take a polar orbit. 

The crew includes Wang, Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German roboticist Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar adventurer Eric Phillips.

During their time in orbit, the Fram2 crew is conducting over 20 experiments to advance scientific understanding of spaceflight. These experiments include radiation measurements, mushroom cultivation in microgravity conditions, and observing polar light phenomena like auroras.

Travelling around 270 miles above Earth’s surface, the crew has been sharing dramatic imagery captured from the Crew Dragon’s cupola window. Wang has also shared social media posts about their experiences adjusting to microgravity conditions during their first day in orbit.