Four astronauts returned to Earth on Friday following an extended nearly eight-month stay at the International Space Station (ISS), which was prolonged due to complications with Boeing’s Starliner capsule and the impact of Hurricane Milton.
A SpaceX capsule carrying the crew successfully parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida coast before dawn, having undocked from the ISS earlier in the week. The crew consisted of three Americans Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps—and one Russian, Alexander Grebenkin. Their return was delayed by two months due to issues with Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, which had to return empty in September over safety concerns. The arrival of Hurricane Milton and subsequent weeks of high winds and rough seas further stalled their homecoming.
Barratt, the mission’s only veteran astronaut, expressed gratitude for the support teams on the ground who had to adapt their plans continually. “They had to replan, retool, and redo everything right along with us, helping us to roll with all those punches,” he said.
Replacing the returning crew are Starliner test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose own mission has been extended from eight days to eight months, along with two astronauts who were launched by SpaceX four weeks prior. These four astronauts will remain aboard the ISS until February.
The space station is now back to its normal crew size of seven, comprising four Americans and three Russians, after a period of overflow.
