A shift in SpaceX’s reentry routine kicked in with the end of its Fram2 astronaut mission. The Crew Dragon capsule, named Resilience, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 4, just off the coast of Southern California. This was a first for SpaceX — every previous crewed return had ended in either the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic. Recovery teams were already in place nearby, and the capsule was picked up without any hiccups.

Pacific Landings Are Back — For Good

According to a report by Space.com, SpaceX had actually included Pacific splashdowns in its original recovery blueprint. From 2010 through 2019, both cargo and crew missions returned that way. Things shifted to Florida after that, mainly to speed up the process of getting astronauts and supplies back to Kennedy Space Center. But that’s changed again. Last July, the company confirmed the Pacific plan was back — and it’s sticking. Future missions will be following the same west coast route.

Space Junk Prompted the Change

The move wasn’t just about logistics. SpaceX flagged concerns about debris falling from previous missions. Bits of the trunk section — which was supposed to burn up during reentry — had been turning up on land, intact. That wasn’t supposed to happen. To prevent more of that, SpaceX now separates the trunk after the deorbit burn. That gives them more control over where it all ends up. The new method was used during the Fram2 mission, and going forward, any leftover debris should land safely out in the ocean, far from people.