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That loud boom last night? It was a SpaceX spacecraft returning to earth
SpaceX's Dragon capsule.
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NASA
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AP
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At around 10:44 p.m. last night, a SpaceX spacecraft returned to earth, splashing down off the coast of Oceanside and sending a loud boom that rang across Southern California — and the Interweb.
The private space company's Dragon capsule was carrying 6,700 pounds of equipment and cargo to earth from the International Space Station, according to NASA. The capsule originally took off from the Kennedy Space Center on April 21.
Some of the cargo Dragon brought back include an equipment that exposed different materials to space to study the effects of exposure to ultraviolet radiation and other space elements.
The capsule also returned five books used in agency's Story Time from Space project — STEM-related children's books that crew members abroad the space station videotaped themselves reading. They also recorded themselves conducting science experiments from the books.
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Screenshot of X.
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The mission was SpaceX’s 32nd commercial resupply services mission for the agency, according to NASA.
Don't say you weren't warned
There was plenty of notice that the Dragon capsule was coming back down. NASA had announced the projected date and time of the splashdown a couple days ago.
SpaceX also took to X — the social media site formerly known as Twitter — about an hour before to tip off the Internet about the impending racket, saying "Dragon will also announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom prior to splashing down in the Pacific Ocean."
Dragon will also announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom prior to splashing down in the Pacific Ocean
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 25, 2025
The company confirmed the completion with a tweet minutes later.
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Splashdown of Dragon confirmed, completing SpaceX’s 32nd Commercial Resupply Services mission to the @Space_Station!
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 25, 2025
On its website, SpaceX says the Dragon capsule can carry up to 7 passengers, and it's the first private spacecraft to transport humans to the space station.
As for us earthlings, at least we now know the reason behind this one mystery boom.
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