Historic Return Russian and American Astronauts Land Safely After Record Breaking ISS Mission
The capsule landed safely about 3.5 hours after undocking from the ISS, descending under a red-and-white parachute at approximately 7.2 meters per second (16 mph). In the final moments of the landing, small rockets fired to cushion the impact. Once on the ground, the astronauts were carefully extracted from the capsule and seated in nearby chairs to help them readjust to Earth’s gravity, followed by medical examinations in a nearby tent.
This mission has been particularly significant, as Oleg Kononenko has now set a record for the longest continuous stay in space at 374 days, in addition to holding the record for the longest cumulative time in orbit—an impressive 1,111 days throughout his career.
While Kononenko, Chub, and Dyson have returned, eight astronauts remain on the ISS, including Americans Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Their return has been delayed due to complications with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which was intended to bring them home. After facing thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, NASA decided it would be too risky to use the Starliner for their return.
Wilmore and Williams are now scheduled to return to Earth on a SpaceX vessel next year, following the earlier, successful test flight of the Starliner without crew. That flight, which occurred on September 7, successfully landed in New Mexico after its autonomous descent, though it underscored the ongoing challenges faced by Boeing’s spacecraft.
Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, remarked on the journey, stating, “It’s been a journey to get here, and we’re excited to have Starliner come home.” With over $1 billion invested in repairs and modifications to the Starliner following its initial test flight issues in 2019, the road ahead remains crucial for both Boeing and NASA as they work to ensure safe crewed missions in the future.
As the space community reflects on this record-breaking mission, the collaboration between nations continues to be a beacon of hope and achievement in the realm of human space exploration.
