splashdown
noun
splash·down
ˈsplash-ˌdau̇n 
plural splashdowns
: the landing of a crewed spacecraft in the ocean
splash down
intransitive verb
Examples of splashdown in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The vehicle was preparing to plunge out of orbit and back into Earth’s atmosphere, twirling toward a safe splashdown in the ocean — and leaving fuel in its wake.
—
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
On both missions, the upper stage — which SpaceX calls Starship, or simply Ship — was supposed to make a soft splashdown off the coast of Western Australia about 65 minutes after liftoff.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2025
The mission will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, which no human crew for SpaceX has done before.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025
The splashdown came after Wilmore and Williams boarded the Dragon Freedom with the Crew-9 team to undock from the ISS Harmony module, a port and passageway onto the station.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
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Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
On both missions, the upper stage — which SpaceX calls Starship, or simply Ship — was supposed to make a soft splashdown off the coast of Western Australia about 65 minutes after liftoff.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2025
The mission will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, which no human crew for SpaceX has done before.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025
The splashdown came after Wilmore and Williams boarded the Dragon Freedom with the Crew-9 team to undock from the ISS Harmony module, a port and passageway onto the station.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for splashdown
Cite this Entry
“Splashdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/splashdown. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
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splashdown
noun
splash·down
ˈsplash-ˌdau̇n
: the landing of a spacecraft in the ocean
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