Astronauts Re-entering Earth After Orbiting Space Station International Space Station (ISS) - Cosmonauts en route from the International Space Station to Earth
NASA's Crew-10 Astronauts Return to Earth After 148-Day Mission on ISS
After nearly five months in space, the Crew-10 astronauts, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov, returned to Earth on August 9, 2025. Their journey back home began with undocking from the International Space Station (ISS) at 6:15 p.m. EDT on August 8, and concluded with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California at 11:33 a.m. EDT on August 9.
The astronauts returned aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule named Endurance, marking NASA's first splashdown in the Pacific Ocean in 50 years and the 10th operational crew rotation mission under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The spacecraft was launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center on March 14, 2025.
During their mission, the crew conducted numerous experiments, demonstrated advanced technologies, and completed a spacewalk. Their work spanned various disciplines, contributing to ongoing research aboard the ISS. They also served as a transition crew, passing ongoing research duties to Crew-11 astronauts and welcoming a private mission crew (Axiom Mission 4) during their stay.
Following recovery by SpaceX recovery vessels, the astronauts were medically checked and flown back to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to reunite with their families. The mission exemplified collaboration among NASA, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos (Russian space agency), with SpaceX responsible for the spacecraft launch and return operations under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Meanwhile, the new crew at the ISS, Crew-11, has taken over duties. This crew is tasked with simulating scenarios for a lunar landing. However, details about the conditions of the return journey or the planned landing location for Crew-10 are not provided.
It's worth noting that Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were stranded on the ISS due to a technical problem for months, also returned to Earth thanks to SpaceX. The exact nature of the experiments and their findings during both missions remain undisclosed.
The launch of Crew-11 was not mentioned in the provided information.
References: [1] NASA (2025). Crew-10 Mission Overview. [online] Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
[2] SpaceX (2025). Crew-10 Mission. [online] Available at: https://www.spacex.com/crew-10
[3] Axiom Space (2025). Axiom Mission 4. [online] Available at: https://www.axiomspace.com/missions/axiom-mission-4/
[4] Kennedy Space Center (2025). Crew-10 Launch. [online] Available at: https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/crew-10-launch
[5] Johnson Space Center (2025). Crew-10 Return. [online] Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/jsc/crew-10-return
I'm on my way back to the International Space Station, contributing to ongoing research in space-and-astronomy and science, demonstrating advanced technology. My journey back home is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, marking a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean after 148 days aboard the ISS.
