First US Astronaut Sea Landing in 45 Years... Trump "Very Excited"

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[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Two NASA astronauts who stayed on the International Space Station (ISS) for two months returned to Earth on the afternoon of the 2nd (local time) by splashing down in the ocean. Both U.S. President Donald Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who was responsible for the astronauts' return, welcomed their homecoming.

According to U.S. media including the AP News, the 'Crew Dragon' capsule, the first American private spacecraft carrying astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, splashed down off the coast of Pensacola in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, that afternoon.

The Crew Dragon capsule carrying American astronauts is being lifted onto the ship after landing at sea. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The two astronauts boarded SpaceX's Crew Dragon, a private space development company's spacecraft, on May 30 and headed to space. They stayed on the ISS for 62 days, performing missions such as spacewalks and scientific experiments.

The astronauts completed their final orbit flight around 12:51 p.m. that day, separated the capsule body at 1:52 p.m. to enter the atmosphere for return, and successfully returned at the planned time without any defects.

Their return marks the first time in nine years since the retirement of the U.S. Space Shuttle in 2011 that American astronauts have completed a round trip to space using a private spacecraft. Unlike previous returns using the space shuttle that landed on land, this time they landed in the ocean, which is a notable difference.

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the event on Twitter, saying, "Astronauts have successfully splashed down in the ocean for the first time in 45 years. Very exciting!" SpaceX founder Elon Musk also stated, "Dragon has safely succeeded in splashdown. Welcome back to Earth."