Four astronauts return to Earth after eight months in space
The four astronauts completed dozens of experiments and maintenance tasks before returning aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
- On Thursday, Commander Jessica Meir and three crewmates splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Los Angeles at 11:34 a.m. ET aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom, completing a 237-day mission to the International Space Station.
- Meir and her crew launched February 13, 2026 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as an emergency replacement after NASA astronaut Mike Fincke fell ill, marking NASA's first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight.
- During eight months aboard, the crew completed 3,792 orbits spanning nearly 101 million miles; Meir conducted four spacewalks totaling over 27 hours while ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot performed three spacewalks in 14 days, spending 19 hours and 42 minutes outside the station.
- Meir radioed after splashdown, "We are so excited to be back on Planet Earth," noting the crew had "a lot of mixed, swirling emotions," while all four were helicoptered to Houston's Johnson Space Center for rehabilitation.
- Crew-13 arrived October 1 in record time, docking 7 hours and 55 minutes after liftoff, as Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov took command of the station; Dubrov, cosmonaut Anna Kikina and NASA astronaut Anil Menon remain aboard for eight months while Crew-13 spends six months at the ISS.
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cedarnews.netFour astronauts have returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) after eight months. SpaceX brought the crew back safely in a space capsule. The so-called splashdown took place off the coast of Los Angeles. After the capsule was hoisted aboard a recovery ship, the four emerged. "Finally showering again," one of the astronauts commented upon their return. The crew consisted of two Americans, a Russian, and a French woman. They …
Four parachutes slowed down to the Pacific. Sophie Adenot, not very fit but happy, is back on Earth. It was 5:34 p.m. when the French astronaut and her three teammates completed their long mission in space. It took almost an hour for the teams to retrieve the capsule and bring it back to NASA's ship. After eight months in weightlessness, she will rediscover the weight of her body. How will she adapt after this return to Earth? (Sciences).
After more than 27 hours of return journey, the Dragon capsule carrying them landed unobstructed at 15:34 GMT (17:34 p.m. from Paris) on the Pacific waters, according to the live broadcast of the American Space Agency (Nasa). "We are very happy to be back on Earth after an incredible mission," launched the commander, the American Jessica Meir, shortly after the landing. The four teammates - Adenot, Meir, the American Jack Hathaway and the Russia…
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