SpaceX's Crew Dragon Safely Brings Back Four Astronauts from the ISS

JAKARTA - The fourth full-length team of astronauts launched by SpaceX to the International Space Station (ISS) returned safely to Earth on Friday, October 14. They landed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida, after nearly six months of research at the Earth orbit outpost.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, dubbed Freedom, carrying three NASA astronauts from the US and an Italian crew from the European Space Agency, plunged into the sea at the end of a five-hour autonomous flight home from the ISS.

Splashdown under clear skies, around 4:55 p.m. EDT (20:55 GMT), was broadcast live by the joint NASA-SpaceX webcast.

Freedom began orbiting on April 27, 2022. The crew consisted of NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, 49, fellow Americans Jessica Watkins, 34, and Bob Hines, 47, and Samantha Cristoforetti, 45, from Italy, who was commander of their ISS expedition. Watkins became the first African-American woman to join the long-running ISS mission.

In less than an hour, the recovery team had hoisted the hot-burning Crew Dragon onto a retrieval vessel before opening the side hatch of the capsule and helping the four astronauts out one by one for their first breath of fresh air in more than 24 weeks.

Still wearing their white-and-black spacesuits and helmets, their strength and balance faltered after experiencing 170 days of weightlessness. Then the four crew members were helped onto a special gurney as they waved and gave the camera a thumbs up.

Among them, who greeted the astronauts on the ship's deck, was veteran NASA astronaut Megan McArthur.

Each returning astronaut must undergo regular health checks on board before being flown by helicopter back to Florida.

According to NASA, during their stay on the space station, the crew orbited Earth 2,720 times - about once every 90 minutes - to record a distance of about 72 million miles (116 million km) in space.

The team was designated "Crew-4," the fourth long-range group of astronauts launched to the ISS by SpaceX since the private rocket company founded by Tesla Inc CEO Elton Musk began flying NASA personnel in May 2020.

As for most of the ISS crew, their primary mission is science-based, which includes a number of experiments and technology demonstrations.

Highlights include research on microgravity-induced changes in human cells similar to those associated with aging, and documenting the effects of orbital dietary improvements on immune function, gastrointestinal health, and nutritional indicators.

They also participated in the study of the behavior of fire and fuel in the weightless state, and the cultivation of plants in water- and air-based growth materials in lieu of soil.

Their exit came a week after their replacement team, Crew-5, arrived at the station - a Russian cosmonaut, a Japanese astronaut and two NASA crew members, including the first Native American (Indian) woman in orbit.

Crew-5 remained on the ISS with two other Russians and a third American who shared a Soyuz flight to the ISS in September. One of the cosmonauts, Serge Prokofiev, took command of the ISS from Cristoforetti before the departure of Crew-4.

The ISS, which spans the length of a US football field, has been continuously occupied since 2000, operated by a US-Russia-led partnership that includes Canada, Japan and 11 European countries.