SpaceX Dragon Freedom Returns After Seven-Month ISS Mission

The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles, California, at 8:34 a.m. Pacific Time on October 8, 2026. The landing concluded a seven-and-a-half-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

The crew, which included Jessica, Jack, Sophie, and Andre, returned safely after the vehicle decelerated from an orbital velocity of 17,500 mph to approximately 16 mph. This descent was managed through a sequence of drogue and main parachutes.

NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway served as the pilot for the return flight. He maintained constant communication with mission control located in Hawthorne, California, throughout the reentry and recovery process.