SpaceX Dragon begins journey home from the ISS with science cargo

SpaceX’s CRS-34 Dragon cargo capsule undocked from the International Space Station around 12:05 p.m. EDT today and is headed back to Earth, with splashdown expected off California on June 17. The ship carries roughly 6,500 pounds of food, supplies and hardware, including returning science samples such as bioprinted tissue and DNA-inspired materials, plus equipment to monitor crew eye health and filter cabin contaminants. Dragon is the only ISS cargo vehicle designed to survive reentry, as other freighters are expendable and burn up on descent; live coverage is available via Space.com and NASA.