Amphibious transport dock USS Portland (LPD27) recovers the NASA Orion spacecraft, Dec. 11, 2022. Portland, along with Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8), operated in U.S. 3rd Fleet in support of the recovery.
The retrieval operation was part of a Department of Defense effort that integrated combatant command service capabilities to determine best practices for safely retrieving spacecraft capable of carrying humans into space.
The U.S. Navy has many unique capabilities that make it an ideal partner for supporting NASA, including its amphibious and expeditionary capabilities with the ability to embark helicopters, launch and recover small boats, three-dimensional air search radar and advanced medical facilities.
12.11.2022
Video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Devin Kates
Expeditionary Strike Group Three