Astronauts returned to Earth with SpaceX after 5 months

• Astronauts returned from the ISS after 5 months
• SpaceX conducted the first NASA recovery in the Pacific Ocean
• The crew replaced the detained Starliner astronauts

This is reported by ABC News, NBC News.

On September 9, 2025, four astronauts returned to Earth after spending five months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). They were sent to the space station to replace the crew that was detained due to issues with the Starliner capsule from Boeing.

The SpaceX capsule landed in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of Southern California a day after being launched from the orbital laboratory. Among the astronauts who returned were NASA representatives Ann McClain and Nicole Aunapu Mann, Japanese astronaut Takuyа Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

They started in the spring to replace the NASA astronauts who had been detained at the station due to problems with the Starliner capsule. The malfunction of the Starliner led to the fact that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams remained at the station for nearly nine months.

Before the flight from the ISS, McClain noted that their mission was meant to serve as a reminder that people can achieve success when they work together. She also expressed the desire to return home and enjoy hot showers and delicious hamburgers.

This was the third recovery by SpaceX in the Pacific Ocean with a crew on board, but the first for NASA in 50 years. Previously, the company changed the recovery site from Florida to the coast of California to reduce the risk of landing in populated areas. The last return of NASA astronauts in the Pacific Ocean occurred during the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975.

Tags: Technology/Space