Four astronauts have returned safely to Earth after a nearly eight-month stay on the International Space Station. The stay was extended due to Boeing’s technical problems with the capsule Starliner and the extreme weather caused by Hurricane Milton.
The SpaceX capsule carrying the crew drifted aground in the Gulf of Mexico, near the coast of Florida, early Friday morning.
The crew made up of three Americans and a Russian, was expected to return two months ago. However, the delay came about because of technical concerns surrounding Boeing’s new capsule, which completed its mission in September with no occupants for safety reasons. The onslaught of Hurricane Milton and subsequent high winds further delayed the crew’s safe return.
SpaceX launched the mission in March, with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominic, Michael Barat and Jeanette Epps, as well as Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin. Barat, the only one with previous space experience, acknowledged the effort of the support teams on Earth, saying they “had to redesign and reinvent everything with us… and help us meet every challenge.”
The crew was replaced by Starliner test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose planned eight-day mission was extended to eight months, and two other astronauts who were launched in a SpaceX capsule four weeks ago. The four new astronauts will remain in orbit until February.
