International crew returns to Earth after 5 months on space station
The SpaceX capsule carrying US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov splashed down off California's coast.
Their safe return concludes NASA's 10th crew rotation mission under the Commercial Crew Program.
The Dragon capsule, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, detached from the ISS on Friday before re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
NASA confirmed the capsule endured extreme heat of up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit during re-entry.
Parachutes slowed the spacecraft from 17,500 miles per hour to just 16 miles per hour before splashdown.
A recovery ship retrieved the capsule, allowing the astronauts to breathe Earth's air for the first time in months.
The crew will now travel to Houston to reunite with their families.
During their mission, they conducted experiments on plant growth, cell reactions to gravity, and microgravity's effects on human eyes.
NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy praised the mission as a step toward long-duration space exploration.
Anne McClain described her farewell to the ISS as bittersweet, acknowledging the global collaboration behind space missions.
NASA recently announced workforce cuts affecting 3,900 employees under federal budget reductions.
The agency continues prioritising crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.
The Crew-10 mission also facilitated the return of two astronauts unexpectedly stranded on the ISS for nine months.
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, initially meant for an eight-day test flight, encountered propulsion issues, delaying their return.
NASA confirmed astronaut Butch Wilmore's retirement after 25 years of service.
A new crew, including US, Japanese, and Russian astronauts, recently began a six-month mission aboard the ISS. - AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
China rocket shortage means it may have to pick a favoured Starlink challenger
As China scrambles to build massive internet networks in space to rival Starlink, a growing divide is quietly emerging on the ground between national priorities and local ambition. The country appears to be fast-tracking the roll-out of Guo Wang, a state-run 13,000-satellite constellation slated for completion within a decade, tightening control over launch resources and leaving other projects in limbo. Often known as Beijing's answer to SpaceX's Starlink, Guo Wang has launched three batches of satellites in the past week alone – a sharp jump from its earlier pace of about one batch every two months. The launches, which bring the total number of Guo Wang satellites in orbit to 57, used three different Long March rockets, signalling a national push to ensure the project received all the launch capacity it needed to stay on track. Meanwhile, Qianfan, a 15,000-satellite constellation backed by the Shanghai municipal government, has not launched since March, despite already placing 90 satellites in orbit. With state-owned rockets seemingly out of reach, Qianfan is now turning to private rocket companies for help. In late July, Shanghai Yuanxin Satellite Technology – the company behind Qianfan – issued its second launch tender of the year, seeking seven rocket launches to deploy 94 satellites. The contract, worth 1.4 billion yuan (US$186 million), requires all satellites to be delivered into orbit by March next year. One option calls for launching 10 satellites at a time, using a rocket that has already flown and could deliver at least 2.8 tonnes to a 950km (590 miles) near-polar orbit. The leading contender is Beijing-based LandSpace, whose upgraded Zhuque-2E can carry up to 4 tonnes – although to a lower 500km orbit. The second option involves launching 18 satellites at once, requiring a rocket that could deliver at least 4.8 tonnes to an 800km orbit and a firm commitment to complete its first flight by the end of this year. So far, only a few Long March rockets meet that threshold, including the 6A, 8, 8A and 12 that have supported past Guo Wang and Qianfan launches. Among private rockets still in development, LandSpace's reusable, heavy-lift Zhuque-3 appears to be the most promising, with a maiden flight targeted for this autumn. Yuanxin's first tender, issued in February, aimed to deploy 162 satellites across nine launches. But with fewer than three bids submitted, the process was cancelled, according to a statement on the tender result issued later that month. Space observers said the launch mission divide between Guo Wang and Qianfan highlighted a key factor behind China's launch bottleneck: the lack of reusable rockets. Unlike SpaceX's Falcon 9 – which has launched satellites up to two or three times a week – China still relies on expendable launchers that have lower capacity and slower turnaround. Without a comparable reusable system, the country's squeeze on rocket access was expected to persist, leaving ambitious satellite projects fighting for limited launch slots for years to come, the experts warned. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The Sun
16 hours ago
- The Sun
International crew returns to Earth after 5 months on space station
WASHINGTON: An international crew of four astronauts has returned to Earth after nearly five months aboard the International Space Station. The SpaceX capsule carrying US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov splashed down off California's coast. Their safe return concludes NASA's 10th crew rotation mission under the Commercial Crew Program. The Dragon capsule, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, detached from the ISS on Friday before re-entering Earth's atmosphere. NASA confirmed the capsule endured extreme heat of up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit during re-entry. Parachutes slowed the spacecraft from 17,500 miles per hour to just 16 miles per hour before splashdown. A recovery ship retrieved the capsule, allowing the astronauts to breathe Earth's air for the first time in months. The crew will now travel to Houston to reunite with their families. During their mission, they conducted experiments on plant growth, cell reactions to gravity, and microgravity's effects on human eyes. NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy praised the mission as a step toward long-duration space exploration. Anne McClain described her farewell to the ISS as bittersweet, acknowledging the global collaboration behind space missions. NASA recently announced workforce cuts affecting 3,900 employees under federal budget reductions. The agency continues prioritising crewed missions to the Moon and Mars. The Crew-10 mission also facilitated the return of two astronauts unexpectedly stranded on the ISS for nine months. Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, initially meant for an eight-day test flight, encountered propulsion issues, delaying their return. NASA confirmed astronaut Butch Wilmore's retirement after 25 years of service. A new crew, including US, Japanese, and Russian astronauts, recently began a six-month mission aboard the ISS. - AFP
New Straits Times
18 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Four astronauts back on Earth after 150 days aboard ISS
WASHINGTON: An international crew of four astronauts is back home on Earth Saturday after nearly five months aboard the International Space Station, returning safely in a SpaceX capsule. The spacecraft carrying US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov splashed down off California's coast at 8.44am local time (1534 GMT). Their return marks the end of the 10th crew rotation mission to the space station under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which was created to succeed the Space Shuttle era by partnering with private industry. The Dragon capsule of billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX company detached from the International Space Station (ISS) at 2215 GMT on Friday. When these capsules reenter Earth's atmosphere, they heat up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,925 Celsius), according to NASA. Atmospheric reentry – then the deployment of huge parachutes when the capsule gets closer to Earth – slows its speed from 17,500 miles (28,100 kilometers ) per hour to just 16 miles per hour. After the capsule splashed down, it was recovered by a SpaceX ship and hoisted aboard. Only then were the astronauts able to breathe Earth's air again, for the first time in months. The crew will now fly to Houston to be reunited with their families. They conducted numerous scientific experiments during their time on the space station, including studying plant growth, how cells react to gravity, and the effect of microgravity on human eyes. NASA acting Administrator Sean Duffy praised the successful mission. "Our crew missions are the building blocks for long-duration, human exploration pushing the boundaries of what's possible," he said in a NASA statement. McClain said her farewell to the ISS was "bittersweet" because she may never return. "Every day, this mission depends on people from all over the world," she wrote on X. "It depends on government and commercial entities, it depends on all political parties, and it depends on commitment to an unchanged goal over many years and decades." NASA said last month it would lose about 20 per cent of its workforce – around 3,900 employees – under cuts from the US President Donald Trump's sweeping effort to trim the federal workforce. Trump has meanwhile prioritised crewed missions to the Moon and Mars. The Crew-10's launch into space in March allowed two US astronauts to return home after being unexpectedly stuck aboard the space station for nine months. When they launched in June 2024, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were only supposed to spend eight days in space on a test of the Boeing Starliner's first crewed flight. However, the spaceship developed propulsion problems and was deemed unfit to fly back, leaving them in space for an indefinite period. NASA announced this week that Wilmore has decided to retire after 25 years of service at the US space agency.
