The Dragon X capsule splashed down safely yesterday. 

NASA Astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, splashed down off Florida, after 2 months in space on the ISS.

It was the first splashdown in over 40 years, after operations of the fly-home shuttle were terminated.  

But it was also the first successful mission by a civilian contractor, Elon Musk's SpaceX. 

And they cheekily announced: "On behalf of the SpaceX and NASA teams, welcome back to Planet Earth. Thanks for flying SpaceX."

It took 21 hours from leaving the ISS to splashdown to confirm the viability of the SpaceX model. 

But it was a trial by fire at 2,000 degrees C and a fiery reentry that left the capsule scorched but safe. 

Its now likely that other missions will be planned for ferrying crew and material between earth and the ISS. 

Well, I can't say it was enthralling as most of the footage was locked on a static control room, requiring us to turn audio broadcasts into mental images. But the launch was amazing. 

(c) Peter Missing @ me2u2all.blogspot.com