NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2: Crew Dragon Departing Station

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, undocks from the International Space Station on Aug. 1, 2020. Photo credit: NASA

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is departing the International Space Station, and NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Benhken are officially beginning their journey home. The spacecraft undocked from International Docking Adapter-2 at the forward end of the station’s Harmony node at 7:35 p.m. EDT. Two short firings of Dragon Endeavour’s Draco thrusters gently push the spacecraft away from the orbiting laboratory. Later, a series of four departure burns will further increase the distance between the two vehicles.