SpaceX has successfully shifted its recovery operations from the East Coast to the West Coast, with its latest mission marking a new chapter in the company’s efforts. The Crew Dragon capsule “Resilience” splashed down off the coast of Southern California on Friday, April 4, bringing an end to the Fram2 mission.
This marks the first time SpaceX has operated on the West Coast, breaking away from its previous practice of landing missions near Florida. The decision was made after issues were discovered with the expendable trunk section of the Dragon spacecraft, which had been burning up during reentry but occasionally left debris on land.
The new strategy will see splashdowns moved to the Pacific Ocean, ensuring that any surviving debris falls harmlessly into the water, rather than landing on land. This change is expected to reduce the risk of debris harming people or property.
SpaceX first considered shifting its recovery operations to the West Coast in July 2021, with a goal of achieving “clean” splashdowns. The company has since repeated this approach on several missions and will continue to do so going forward. The Fram2 mission successfully employed this new strategy, paving the way for future Dragon missions.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/fram2-astronaut-missions-west-coast-splashdown-opens-new-era-for-spacex