Four astronauts returned to Earth on Friday after a nearly eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station. Their stay was unexpectedly prolonged due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner capsule and disruptions from Hurricane Milton.
The crew—three Americans and one Russian—was initially scheduled to come home two months ago. However, Boeing’s Starliner had to return to Earth empty in September because of safety concerns, delaying the astronauts’ return. When their SpaceX capsule was finally ready to bring them back, Hurricane Milton and two more weeks of high winds and rough seas caused further delays. Despite the setbacks, the SpaceX capsule safely brought them down to the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s coast before dawn.
NASA’s Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Russia’s Alexander Grebenkin had all adapted to the mission’s unexpected length with the help of support teams back home. Barratt, the only spaceflight veteran among them, expressed gratitude for the ground crews who “replanned, retooled, and helped us roll with all those punches.” Meanwhile, their replacements—two Starliner test pilots and two astronauts launched by SpaceX last month—will remain aboard the space station until February.
With the crew rotation complete, the station is back to its standard complement of seven astronauts, restoring balance after months of overcrowding.
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