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SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn returns to Earth after first private spacewalk

SpaceX capsule splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida after historic mission, carrying tech billionaire Jared Issacman and his crew.

The SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, which made history when its crew conducted the first-ever commercial spacewalk, has concluded with a splashdown off the coast of Florida in the United States.

The Dragon spacecraft plunged into the ocean at 3:37am (07:37 GMT) on Sunday, a webcast of the arrival showed, with a recovery team deploying in the predawn darkness to retrieve the capsule and crew.

The capsule was lifted from the water and onto the recovery vessel half an hour later.

After brief medical checks, a smiling and waving SpaceX engineer Anna Menon was the first of the crew to exit, followed by engineer Sarah Gillis, former United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott Poteet, and commander and fintech billionaire Jared Isaacman.