SpaceX Sojourn Ends as Station Crew Starts Return
After spending nearly five months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), five astronauts have begun their journey back to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule. The returning crew members are Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers of the United States, Takuya Onishi of Japan, and Kirill Peskov of Russia.
Known as Crew-10, the team conducted a wide range of scientific experiments during their mission, including research on plant growth and the effects of microgravity on cellular responses.
According to AFP, following a 17-hour voyage in the capsule, they are scheduled to land off the coast of California at 9:33 p.m. local time on Saturday, August 9.
This return will mark the completion of the 10th crew rotation mission to the ISS under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, launched in the post–space shuttle era to conduct missions in partnership with private companies.
Earlier, at 10:15 p.m. local time on Friday, August 8, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule undocked from the ISS. During its high-speed return to Earth, the spacecraft will re-enter the atmosphere, deploy large parachutes to slow its descent, and make a gentle splashdown in the ocean.
Once in the water, a SpaceX recovery vessel will retrieve the capsule. The astronauts will then breathe Earth’s air again for the first time in nearly five months.
