Axiom-4 Return: Here’s Why Dragon Faces 6‑Minute Comm Blackout During Re‑Entry

New Delhi: When SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft plunges back to Earth, it briefly goes silent for about six minutes. This communications blackout happens during the most intense phase of atmospheric entry, and here’s what causes it: As Dragon speeds toward Earth, it slams into the upper atmosphere at tens of thousands of kilometers per hour. The air compresses and heats up violently, creating a glowing layer of ionized gas, or plasma, around the capsule. Temperatures can reach several thousand degrees Celsius.

Why Radio Signals Can’t Get Through?

This plasma forms a kind of Faraday cage, blocking most radio frequencies used for communication. The ionized electrons disrupt and absorb the spacecraft’s signals, cutting off contact with mission control.

Six Minutes of Silence

For Dragon, this blackout typically lasts around six minutes, beginning when the plasma first develops and ending once the capsule slows and descends out of the plasma envelope.

How SpaceX Prepares?

Engineers plan for this silent interval. Dragon stores data onboard and resumes transmissions once radio signals can penetrate again. Ground tracking systems also predict blackout timing so operations go smoothly.

Safe Splashdown Follows

After the plasma clears, Dragon deploys parachutes and regains communication before landing. It emerges from the blackout well-tracked and ready for recovery missions.

Dragon’s communications blackout is completely normal and expected. It occurs due to the intense heat and plasma surrounding the spacecraft, a necessary, if brief, part of returning safely to Earth.

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