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SpaceX Capsule Returns from ISS Mission

The privately-owned cargo spaceship Dragon returns to Earth Tuesday, after completing its mission at the International Space Station, Mar. 26, 2013. (SpaceX)

The privately-owned cargo spaceship Dragon returned to Earth Tuesday, after completing its mission at the International Space Station.

SpaceX, owner and operator of the unmanned Dragon capsule, announced in a tweet that the spacecraft had splashed down safely into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico.

The capsule brought back more than 1 ton of equipment from science experiments conducted on the ISS. On its way to the station, the Dragon had carried equipment, food and spare parts for the six-person ISS crew.

NASA has contracted the California-based SpaceX to carry out at least 12 resupply missions to the space station in the next several years.

Since the end of NASA's space shuttle program in 2011, the Dragon spacecraft has been the only U.S. vehicle capable of ferrying cargo to and from the space station.


Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.