Splashdown: Dragon SpaceX Capsule Returns to Earth in Atlantic Ocean Off Florida

Two NASA astronauts, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, splashed down safely in the SpaceX Crew Dragon "Endeavour" in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 2:48 p.m. EDT. It is the first time a commercially built and operated American crew spacecraft has returned from the International Space Station to complete a test flight, beginning a new era in human spaceflight. NASA is continuing live coverage of the recovery. After the spacecraft splashed down, private boats including one hauling a Trump 2020 banner, passed in front of the bobbing SpaceX capsule. This as boats from SpaceX tried to attach a hydraulic lift to move it onto a barge.

With Dragon already slowed to 350 miles an hour, the shoots will drag it down to 115 MPH before final shoots deploy and spaceship returns to Earth from the International Space Station. Two men are on board, in a few minutes the blackout period will end.

Ship is fully autonomous during landing.

Bob Banken and Doug Hurley resume communications and come out of Blackout, Dragon Endeavour. Men are experiencing 3.5 Gs of gravity.

The successful splashdown was the first for the United States since Apollo Soyuz in 1975. NASA then went to space shuttles for the manned space program.

Libertarian John Stossell tweeted: "2 Americans just landed safely after spending 2 months in space. 11 years ago, an Obama committee concluded that would take 12 years and cost $26 billion. Elon Musk did it in 6 years-- for less than $1 billion. Private competition is always better. #SplashDown #LaunchAmerica."