In the early hours of Friday, four astronauts made a safe return to Earth, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s coast before sunrise. Their return follows an extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), delayed by a series of unforeseen challenges.
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Russia’s Alexander Grebenkin arrived back on Earth in a SpaceX capsule after leaving the ISS mid-week, according to an AP report. Originally scheduled to return two months earlier, their mission faced setbacks due to complications with Boeing’s new Starliner capsule. Safety concerns prompted Boeing to bring the Starliner back empty in September, further delaying the astronauts’ journey home.
The timeline was also affected by external weather events. Hurricane Milton initially postponed their departure, and subsequent high winds and turbulent seas caused further delays. Despite the challenges, the mission’s only veteran astronaut, Michael Barratt, commended the ground crew’s efforts, noting that they had to “replan, retool, and redo everything alongside us … and helped us adapt to all those changes.”
This crew had launched in March and has now been replaced by a new team, including Starliner test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, along with two other astronauts who were launched by SpaceX four weeks ago. The new crew is expected to stay aboard the ISS until February.
With this return, the ISS is now back to its usual seven-member team, consisting of four Americans and three Russians, following months of an expanded roster.
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