The West Coast is now officially considered the best coast for Dragon landings, according to SpaceX's latest mission outcomes. On Friday, April 4, SpaceX's four-person Fram2 mission concluded successfully with the splashdown of the Crew Dragon capsule named Resilience off the coast of Southern California. This marked a significant milestone for the company, as it was the first time a Crew Dragon capsule landed in this region.
Prior to this event, all 16 of SpaceX's previous astronaut missions had concluded with splashdowns in the waters off Florida, either in the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. Notably, since early 2021, every returning Dragon capsule, whether crewed or uncrewed, had hit the water near Florida. However, in July of the previous year, SpaceX announced a strategic shift in its recovery operations to the West Coast.
The decision to move splashdown locations to the West Coast was prompted by safety concerns related to debris recovery. SpaceX had discovered debris from Dragon's expendable trunk section on land multiple times, despite prior modeling suggesting that it would completely burn up during its reentry into Earth's atmosphere. In response, the company is now ensuring that splashdowns occur in the Pacific Ocean, where any surviving debris poses minimal risk to people or property.
To enhance safety, SpaceX has adopted a strategy of jettisoning the trunk after the Dragon's deorbit burn, which helps control the trunk's trajectory. This approach was successfully implemented during the Fram2 mission and is expected to be standard practice for all future Dragon missions. SpaceX representatives have confirmed that this strategy will become the norm moving forward.
While calling this strategy "new" may be somewhat misleading, it is worth noting that the Pacific Ocean was originally the intended target for Dragon splashdowns. For nearly a decade following the first Dragon flight in 2010, the Pacific remained the exclusive splashdown area. The recent shift back to the West Coast signifies a return to those roots while prioritizing safety and environmental considerations.
As SpaceX continues to innovate and push the boundaries of space exploration, this successful splashdown marks an important chapter in the company's ongoing mission to revolutionize space travel. With the West Coast now firmly established as a reliable location for Dragon landings, we can anticipate exciting developments in future missions.
