Nasa astronauts depart ISS en route to first splashdown return in 45 years

Two Nasa astronauts will make the first splashdown return in 45 years afterSpaceX’s astronaut carrier the Crew Dragon successfully undocked from theInternational Space Station (ISS) and began its journey back to Earth, SpaceXsaid.

Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley made history on May 30 when theybecame the first people to launch into low-Earth orbit on a commercialspacecraft that was built by SpaceX.

Their mission, named Demo-2, also markedthe first time Nasa launched astronauts from US soil in nine years.