The first manned mission of SpaceX has come to a conclusion and is a success as astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley arrived back home on Earth on Sunday, Aug. 2, in the historic splashdown aboard the company's Dragon capsule in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Elon Musk Emotionally Welcomes Back Astronauts

In a report by the Daily Mail, billionaire SpaceX CEO Elon Musk rushed from Houston to Hawthorne, California, the company's headquarters, to welcome the astronauts back personally.

Musk also addressed the small group that had gathered for the momentous event following the success of the company's first manned mission to space to the International Space Station (ISS) that lasted for a couple of months.

It was also the first time that a crewed mission took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida in nine years aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, donning the new all-white spacesuit designed by the company (and got the approval of the veteran astronauts) on May 30.

Moreover, the arrival of the veteran NASA astronauts also signals the space agency's first water landing since 1975.

The CEO was clearly emotional and thankful and even admitted that he prayed for the mission.

"This day heralds a new age of space exploration," Musk said, addressing the group. "I'm not very religious, but I prayed for this one."

Read Also: Elon Musk Retracts Controversial Pyramid Claims After Slammed by Egyptian Experts

The Return of the American Flag

Additionally, the tech CEO also posted a tweet from his official Twitter account, welcoming Hurley and Behnken back as well as thanking them for flying with SpaceX, and also congratulated the company and the people behind the mission, along with NASA for the completion of the first crewed Dragon flight.

But it turns out that Behnken and Hurley were not the only ones who returned home from the ISS.

In the tweet, Musk added an emoji of the US flag, which refers to SpaceX's rivalry with the Boeing Company on which astronaut crew would be the first to bring the American flag that was left on the ISS back in 2011.

Behnken and Hurley brought the flag back and were stowed as cargo in the Dragon capsule.

Pushing to Make Tourist Space Flights Possible

Both Boeing and SpaceX had to pay $7 billion to NASA for their "space taxi" contract, but after a failed test run last year, the company founded by Musk in 2002 became the clear frontrunner in the race to make space travel as common as air travel.

"I think my entire adrenaline just dumped. These are difficult times, there's not that much good news. No matter where you are on planet Earth, this is a good thing. And I hope it brightens your day," Musk further said.

Hurley also addressed the small group that gathered for their arrival and said that it was "overwhelming" to see everyone, especially with what has happened on Earth for the last few months, referencing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another SpaceX crew launch will happen as early as next month in preparation for the possible tourist flights to the ISS as early as next year if the company's crewed missions work well.

Read Also: Elon Musk Creates School With No Grades Required, Saying Regular Schools are 'Torture'

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Nhx Tingson

ⓒ 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion