SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule has made a splash down in the Pacific Ocean, with more than 5,400lb of Nasa cargo, and science and technology demonstration samples from the International Space Station (ISS).

Last month, the spacecraft was launched into the ISS on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX tweeted: “Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed, carrying @NASA science and research cargo back from the @Space_Station.”

After retrieving the spacecraft off the west coast of Baja California, some of the cargo will immediately be removed and returned to Nasa, and the Dragon craft will be prepared for a return trip to SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, US.

The facility will carry out the processing and further unloading of scientific samples and the returning station hardware.

"The cargo carried by the Dragon craft would help the scientists on ground to help understand how human cancers start from stem cells and spread after being exposed to near zero-gravity."

According to Nasa, the cargo carried by the Dragon craft would help the scientists on ground to help understand how human cancers start from stem cells and spread after being exposed to near zero-gravity.

In addition, various external payloads were removed from the ISS in the Dragon’s trunk for disposal.

The payloads include the Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) device, which tested the potential for laser-enabled data transmission to Earth, indicating that high-speed space-to-ground optical communications are possible from a fast moving spacecraft.

Image: SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft returning to Earth after resupply mission to the space station. Photo: courtesy of Nasa.