The crew's homecoming was delayed by nearly two months due to complications with Boeing's new Starliner astronaut capsule and the disruptive Hurricane Milton.
According to ABC News, the SpaceX capsule, carrying the astronauts, made a pre-dawn landing in the Gulf of Mexico, just off the Florida coast. The crew had undocked from the ISS earlier in the week. The returning astronauts, three Americans and one Russian, were originally scheduled to return two months prior. However, their return was delayed due to safety concerns with Boeing's Starliner astronaut capsule, which had to return empty in September. The situation was further complicated by the arrival of Hurricane Milton, followed by two weeks of high winds and rough seas.
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The crew, consisting of NASA's Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Russia's Alexander Grebenkin, was launched by SpaceX in March. Barratt, the only experienced astronaut in the mission, expressed gratitude towards the support teams on Earth, stating they had "to replan, retool and kind of redo everything right along with us ... and helped us to roll with all those punches.”
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The replacements for the returning crew are Starliner test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose mission was extended from eight days to eight months, and two astronauts who were launched by SpaceX four weeks ago. These four astronauts will remain on the ISS until February.
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With the return of the four astronauts, the ISS is back to its usual crew size of seven - four Americans and three Russians, after a period of overflow. This successful return marks a significant achievement in space exploration, despite the challenges faced.
