SpaceX Dragon Launches Today: How to Watch the Record-Breaking NASA Mission Live

SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule wrapped up its CRS-32 mission overnight, splashing down safely off the coast of California at 1:45 a.m. PT on Sunday, 25 May 2025, after a flawless parachute-assisted descent. The reusable spacecraft had undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) two days earlier, loaded with more than 4,500 lb (≈2,040 kg) of research samples, experiments and critical hardware. Sonic boom wakes Southern California Residents from San Diego to Los Angeles heard an early-morning sonic boom as Dragon streaked across the pre-dawn sky, a signature of its hypersonic re-entry. The capsule’s heat shield weathered temperatures topping 3,000 °F before dual drogue and main parachutes slowed it for a gentle Pacific splashdown where SpaceX recovery teams were waiting. What Dragon brought home • Microgravity-grown protein crystals for next-generation drug development • Plant genetics studies designed to boost crop resilience on Earth • Live-culture bioreactors that investigated bacteria’s response to space radiation • ISS hardware due for refurbishment or analysis NASA scientists will off-load time-sensitive samples within hours of landing and fly them to Houston for immediate study, keeping the experiment “return-to-lab” interval under 48 hours. Mission by the numbers • 32nd commercial resupply flight by SpaceX under NASA’s CRS contract • 3rd flight for this specific Dragon capsule, demonstrating full reusability • 20 ft³ of pressurized cargo volume delivered to—and from—the ISS • Total Dragon flights (crew + cargo) now at 46 since the vehicle’s 2010 debut How to rewatch the journey While NASA did not livestream the splashdown, full coverage of the May 23 undocking remains on NASA+, and SpaceX’s official X (Twitter) account has posted re-entry highlights for space enthusiasts catching up on the weekend milestone. Why it matters Every successful Dragon splashdown tightens SpaceX’s two-week turnaround goal for cargo vehicles, a cadence that cuts time-to-market for pharmaceutical, agricultural and materials science breakthroughs born in microgravity. The CRS-33 launch, carrying fresh supplies and another batch of cutting-edge experiments, is already penciled in for late July. Key SEO takeaways: SpaceX Dragon splashdown, CRS-32 cargo mission, ISS research return, sonic boom California, NASA splashdown updates, reusable spacecraft, next launch schedule.