Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Aug 10: SpaceX successfully returned four astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth on Saturday, following a 148-day mission that spanned scientific research and international collaboration.
The returning crew—NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov—splashed down aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of San Diego, California, at 11:33 a.m. EDT (9:03 p.m. IST).
“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed!” SpaceX posted on X, while NASA welcomed the team back with a message: “Welcome home #Crew10!”
This marks the 10th operational mission conducted by SpaceX for NASA under its Commercial Crew Program, further cementing the private company’s role in U.S. space exploration efforts.
Launched in March, the Crew-10 team conducted a range of critical experiments aboard the ISS. NASA noted that their work included studies on:
• How spaceflight affects mental and physical health
• Blood flow between the brain and heart
• Lunar navigation techniques
• Transport of scientific samples for analysis on Earth
Their return follows the recent arrival of Crew-11, which includes NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos’ Oleg Platonov.
This new crew is set for a six-month mission, tackling projects like simulated lunar landings, space agriculture, stem cell research, and antibiotic alternatives in microgravity.
With back-to-back missions, NASA and its international partners continue to push the boundaries of science and technology aboard the ISS.