Spacex dragon Released from Space Station

The Dragon capsule departed the orbiting lab Saturday. It’s aiming for an afternoon splashdown in the Pacific, a few hundred miles (kilometres) off the Southern California coast.

It’s a double-header for California, which was treated earlier in the morning to its first launch of a Mars spacecraft. NASA’s Mars InSight lander successfully rocketed away from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

In orbit for seven years, Robonaut needs a tuneup because of circuitry problems. NASA officials say Robonaut may launch again, once fixed.

The @SpaceX #Dragon cargo spacecraft has been released from the International @Space_Station's robotic arm at 9:23am ET. The capsule will splashdown ~3pm ET in the Pacific Ocean, where recovery teams will retrieve it. Watch live: https://t.co/mzKW5uDsTi pic.twitter.com/eSyJ29mwIg

— NASA (@NASA) May 5, 2018