SpaceX Crew Dragon Re-Entry May Be Visible Over Some of Eastern US

By Joe Rao 6 hours ago

SpaceX's historic first Crew Dragon test flight returns to Earth early Friday (March 8), and lucky U.S. East Coasters may be able to see it in action.

Those living in parts of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, the Piedmont region and the southeastern coast of the U.S. may be able to catch a glimpse of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Friday morning as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere with a fiery trail that will end over the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred miles east of Florida.

The uncrewed spacecraft launched March 2 and docked with the International Space Station March 3. If the capsule safely returns to Earth, it will pave the way for crewed SpaceX missions to the space station.

According to NASA's press kit, "Crew Dragon will autonomously undock from the International Space Station on Friday, March 8, at approximately 2:30 a.m. EST [0730 GMT]. About five hours after Dragon departs the space station it will conduct its deorbit burn, which lasts up to 15 minutes. It takes about 35 to 40 minutes for Dragon to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, which is currently targeted for approximately 8:45 a.m. EST [1345 GMT]."

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