Crew 12 Returns to Earth
Crew 12 successfully returned to Earth on Thursday, after a remarkable 237-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The team comprised Commander Jessica Meir, pilot Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
Reentry and Splashdown
After undocking from the ISS, the Crew Dragon capsule named “Freedom” initiated a nine-minute thruster firing to decrease its velocity and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. The descent was marked by dramatic atmospheric deceleration, leading to a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 50 miles west of Los Angeles, at 11:34 a.m. ET.
Caption: A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles.
Medical Checks and Reunions
Following splashdown, a SpaceX recovery team swiftly stabilized the capsule and transported the crew members aboard the recovery ship “Shannon” for initial medical evaluations. All four crew members appeared in good spirits. Meir expressed her eagerness to reunite with her 3.5-year-old daughter and to embrace the sensations of nature after months in space.
Mission Highlights
The Crew 12 mission included 3,792 orbits of Earth, covering nearly 101 million miles, and involved several scientific experiments and four spacewalks. They had launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on February 13.
Future in Space
While Crew 12 returned, Crew 13—the newly arrived group on the ISS—continued their six-month mission, showcasing the ongoing collaboration and research being conducted in low Earth orbit.
Caption: A pre-launch shot of the Crew 12 fliers during training.
