Four astronauts from NASA's Crew-12 mission are back on Earth after spending nearly eight months aboard the International Space Station, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles on Thursday.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule "Freedom" touched down at about 11:34 a.m. Eastern Time, carrying NASA commander Jessica Meir, NASA pilot Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
The journey home
The capsule completed its deorbit burn at 10:46 a.m. ET, re-entered the atmosphere at nearly five miles per second, and used its parachutes to slow from about 120 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour before touchdown. Recovery crews aboard the SpaceX recovery ship Shannon secured the capsule, after which the crew were to be helicoptered to shore and flown to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for rehabilitation.
Eight months of science
The crew had launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 13, 2026. The flight marked the 20th time SpaceX has sent humans to orbit.
During the mission, the astronauts completed dozens of science experiments, including research on stem cells, crystal growth in space and bone loss in microgravity. Commander Meir conducted four spacewalks totalling just over 27 hours, while Adenot performed three spacewalks during the expedition.
Sources:
New York Post: SpaceX astronauts reentry ahead of LA ocean splashdown
WAMC (NPR): 4 people on NASA's Crew-12 mission return to Earth after 8 months in space
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule "Freedom" touched down at about 11:34 a.m. Eastern Time, carrying NASA commander Jessica Meir, NASA pilot Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
The journey home
The capsule completed its deorbit burn at 10:46 a.m. ET, re-entered the atmosphere at nearly five miles per second, and used its parachutes to slow from about 120 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour before touchdown. Recovery crews aboard the SpaceX recovery ship Shannon secured the capsule, after which the crew were to be helicoptered to shore and flown to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for rehabilitation.
Eight months of science
The crew had launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 13, 2026. The flight marked the 20th time SpaceX has sent humans to orbit.
During the mission, the astronauts completed dozens of science experiments, including research on stem cells, crystal growth in space and bone loss in microgravity. Commander Meir conducted four spacewalks totalling just over 27 hours, while Adenot performed three spacewalks during the expedition.
Sources:
New York Post: SpaceX astronauts reentry ahead of LA ocean splashdown
WAMC (NPR): 4 people on NASA's Crew-12 mission return to Earth after 8 months in space
