Deorbit Burn Underway; Engine Firing to Start Crew Dragon’s Descent

A view inside SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California.
A view inside SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California. Image credit: NASA TV

The SpaceX Crew Dragon’s four forward-bulkhead Draco thrusters have ignited for the deorbit burn, an 11-and-a-half-minute burn to slow the spacecraft’s forward speed and begin its descent to Earth. Splashdown off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, is expected at about 2:48 p.m. EDT.