SpaceX Dragon capsule detaches safely, set to return home to Earth
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Washington - The first commercial spacecraft to dock to the International Space Station (ISS) detached safely from the orbiting laboratory Thursday to make its way back to Earth.
US space agency NASA said the ISS crew unberthed the Dragon capsule at 0822 GMT, after it had spent five days, 16 hours and five minutes berthed to the station.
Astronauts inside the ISS used its robotic arm to detach the capsule from the station and move it into position. NASA said the capsule would be released into space in a little over one-and-a-half hours.
SpaceX, the California-based company that made and operates the craft, will guide it back to Earth, where it is to splash down into the Pacific Ocean later Thursday.
Astronauts have spent the days since Dragon docked at the ISS last week unloading some 521 kilograms of cargo.//DPA
Dragon is to return with a new load of cargo that includesequipment to be refurbished by NASA and science experiments. If allgoes as planned, it will be the only operating spacecraft capable ofreturning large loads back to Earth.//DPA
