WASHINGTON: An international crew of four astronauts has returned to Earth after nearly five months aboard the International Space Station.
The SpaceX capsule carrying US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov splashed down off California’s coast.
Their safe return concludes NASA’s 10th crew rotation mission under the Commercial Crew Program.
The Dragon capsule, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, detached from the ISS on Friday before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA confirmed the capsule endured extreme heat of up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit during re-entry.
Parachutes slowed the spacecraft from 17,500 miles per hour to just 16 miles per hour before splashdown.
A recovery ship retrieved the capsule, allowing the astronauts to breathe Earth’s air for the first time in months.
The crew will now travel to Houston to reunite with their families.
During their mission, they conducted experiments on plant growth, cell reactions to gravity, and microgravity’s effects on human eyes.
NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy praised the mission as a step toward long-duration space exploration.
Anne McClain described her farewell to the ISS as bittersweet, acknowledging the global collaboration behind space missions.
NASA recently announced workforce cuts affecting 3,900 employees under federal budget reductions.
The agency continues prioritising crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.
The Crew-10 mission also facilitated the return of two astronauts unexpectedly stranded on the ISS for nine months.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, initially meant for an eight-day test flight, encountered propulsion issues, delaying their return.
NASA confirmed astronaut Butch Wilmore’s retirement after 25 years of service.
A new crew, including US, Japanese, and Russian astronauts, recently began a six-month mission aboard the ISS. - AFP
