Astronauts Return to Earth After Extended Space Station Stay Due to Delays, Hurricane
Four astronauts, including three Americans and one Russian, have returned to Earth after a nearly eight-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS), their homecoming delayed by a combination of technical issues and a hurricane, The Associated Press reports.
The SpaceX capsule carrying NASA’s Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Russia’s Alexander Grebenkin, parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida coast before dawn on Friday. Their mission, initially planned for a six-month duration, was extended due to a series of unforeseen circumstances.
The astronauts were initially scheduled to return to Earth in July. However, problems with Boeing’s new Starliner astronaut capsule, which returned empty in September due to safety concerns, forced a delay. The return was further pushed back due to Hurricane Milton, followed by an additional two weeks of high winds and rough seas.
Barratt, the only space veteran in the crew, acknowledged the immense support from the mission control team back home.
The returning astronauts’ replacements are the two Starliner test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose mission was extended from eight days to eight months, along with two astronauts launched by SpaceX four weeks ago. These four astronauts will remain on the ISS until February.
With the return of the four astronauts, the space station has returned to its normal crew size of seven – four Americans and three Russians – after months of operating with an overflow of crew members.
