SpaceX Dragon returns safely from ISS, splashes into Pacfic Ocean

Oct. 25 (UPI) -- The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that was residing at the International Space Station for the past month has successfully returned to Earth. It landed just over 300 miles off the coast of Mexico in the Pacific Ocean as planned.

The CRS-4/SpX-4, as it's known, launched from Cape Canaveral on September 21 and returned October 25. It carried nearly 5,000 pounds of supplies, including a 3D printer, 20 mice and two Extravehicular Mobility Unit batteries, to the station. It is returning with almost 4,000 pounds of unneeded equipment and supplies.

The 3D printer sent to the ISS was custom designed for printing in low gravity and has been used to print test parts that have been sent back with the Dragon capsule. The 20 mice are on the space station to study the "long-term effects of microgravity on mammalian physiology." The two EMU batteries, which are rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power communication devices and oxygen circulation in space suits, have already been used for two spacewalks.

The capsule also brought the ISS-RapidScat instrument to the space station, a device to monitor ocean winds to help with weather prediction, including identifying hurricanes and tropical storms. The RapidScat is a replacement to the QuikScat, which was a satellite that served the same function for 10 years until it was decommissioned in 2009.

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SpaceX Dragon returns safely from ISS, splashes into Pacfic Ocean