Four astronauts return to Earth after eight months in space
The crew completed dozens of experiments and maintenance tasks, and NASA said the mission set a new European spaceflight record.
- 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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NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑12 Splashes Down After 237 Days and 100 Million Miles in Orbit
After spending more than seven months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), four astronauts from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission have returned safely to Earth. Their spacecraft splashed down Thursday in the Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles, bringing an extraordinary journey of 237 days and more than 100 million miles to an end. The astronauts will [...]
NEWS HEADLINES: NASA’s Crew-12 astronauts return to Earth after 8 months in space – One America News Network
In this handout image provided by NASA, the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft is seen as it lands with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti aboard, in the Atlantic Ocean on October 14, 2022, off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images) OAN Staff Lillian Mann4:00 PM – Thursday, October 8, 2026 Four international …
Crew-12 Astronauts Return In The SpaceX Dragon Capsule After Eight Months In Space
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission returned to Earth after nearly eight months in space, with its Dragon capsule splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off California on October 8. The four crew members—NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev—exited the capsule after their mission aboard the International Space Station. INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Four astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, eight months after they had rushed into orbit to replace an ill colleague and his crew.
Science Daily
Wonderful EngineeringNASA astronauts splash down after 100 million miles in space
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 astronauts have returned to Earth after 237 days in space, traveling more than 100 million miles and completing over 3,792 orbits while conducting research to prepare for future missions to the Moon and Mars. The mission also made history with record-setting spacewalk achievements and experiments that could transform medicine both in space and on Earth.
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