PENSACOLA, Fla. – Four astronauts have returned safely to Earth after spending nearly six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) conducting science and research.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscomos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov safely splashed down in a Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. EDT Tuesday.
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The recovery crew quickly arrived at the capsule, and thermal cameras captured the entire process. After returning to shore, the crew flew to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston where loved ones greeted them.
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“After more than six months aboard the International Space Station, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 has safely returned home,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “This international crew showed that space unites us all. It’s clear that we can do more – we can learn more – when we work together. The science experiments conducted during their time in space will help prepare for NASA’s bold missions at the Moon, Mars, and beyond, all while benefitting humanity here on Earth.”
The seventh commercial crew rotation for NASA spent 199 days aboard the ISS in low-Earth orbit as part of Expedition 70. The Crew-7 mission lifted off at 3:27 a.m. EDT Aug. 26, 2023, on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
On Monday, March 11, at 11:20 a.m. EDT, Crew-7 began their journey back home after Dragon successfully docked to the Harmony module’s space-facing port about 30 hours prior, according to NASA.
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It was the first time astronauts from all of NASA’s international partners launched with SpaceX to the ISS, including astronauts from Europe, Japan and Russia. Previous commercial crew missions have included at least two NASA astronauts.
The international crew of four traveled 84,434,094 miles during their mission, NASA said, and completed 3,184 orbits around Earth.
The Crew-7 flight is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and its return to Earth comes after NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 launch, which docked to the station on March 5, starting another science expedition.