Dragon Returns with Space Station Cargo, Adds X Factor to Private Mission

The unmanned SpaceX capsule made its blazing re-entry into the Earth and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after successfully completing its first contracted cargo delivery flight contracted by NASA to resupply the International Space Station.

"With a big splash in the Pacific Ocean today, we are reminded American ingenuity is alive and well and keeping our great nation at the cutting edge of innovation and technology development," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.

"Just a little over one year after we retired the Space Shuttle, we have completed the first cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. Not with a government owned and operated system, but rather with one built by a private firm -- an American company that is creating jobs and helping keep the U.S. the world leader in space as we transition to the next exciting chapter in exploration. Congratulations to SpaceX and the NASA team that supported them and made this historic mission possible."

At 2.22 p.m CDT Sunday Space X Dragon capsule hit the water. Soon it was taken by boat to a port near Los Angeles, where it will be prepared for a journey to SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, for processing.

Certain cargo such as the GLACIER freezer packed with research samples collected in the orbiting laboratory's unique microgravity environment will be taken out at the port in California and returned to NASA within 48 hours.

These samples will help advance multiple scientific disciplines on Earth and provide critical data on the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. The remainder of the cargo will be returned to Texas with the capsule.

The mission was the first of at least 12 cargo resupply missions to the space station planned by SpaceX through 2016 under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

The Dragon launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, on Oct. 7. It carried 882 pounds of cargo to the complex, including 260 pounds of crew supplies, 390 pounds of scientific research, 225 pounds of hardware and several pounds of other supplies. The Dragon capsule returned with 1,673 pounds of cargo, including 163 pounds of crew supplies, 866 pounds of scientific research, and 518 pounds of hardware.