U.S. Commercial Cargo Ship Departs the International Space Station.

The U.S. commercial SpaceX Dragon cargo craft was released from the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm in the early hours of March 19, after spending more than three weeks at the orbital outpost. During that time, the crew onboard transferred onto the station several tons of supplies and scientific investigations delivered by Dragon. Expedition 50 crew members Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) and Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA bid farewell to Dragon as the resupply craft moved to a safe distance away from the complex for its deorbit engine firing and a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific. Dragon is returning critical science experiments for investigators back on the Earth.