SpaceX capsule to return from orbit, capping off first tourism mission

Four people are set to return from a three-day extraterrestrial excursion aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on Saturday evening, the final, and perhaps most dangerous, stretch of their mission. Their return will mark the end of the first-ever flight to Earth's orbit flown entirely by tourists or otherwise non-astronauts.

The four will make a nail-biting re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere aboard their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule before it deploys parachutes and splashes down off the coast of Florida Saturday evening. The reentry process will involve the spacecraft — which has been traveling at more than 17,000 miles per hour for the past three days— diving back into the Earth's thick atmosphere, a process that heats the exterior of the vehicle up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then, the capsule is expected to deploy two sets of parachutes in rapid succession to slow its descent before hitting the ocean. A fleet of SpaceX rescue ships will be nearby, ready to bring the capsule out of the water and its passengers to safety.