Two Cosmonauts and NASA Astronaut Return Home After Marathon Mission

Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, recognized as the world’s most seasoned astronaut, alongside first-time flier Nikolai Chub and NASA veteran Tracy Dyson, successfully undocked from the International Space Station and returned to Earth on Monday. They concluded their record-breaking mission with a flawless landing in Kazakhstan.

With the Soyuz crew safely home, NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the upcoming launch of astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov to the space station aboard a Crew Dragon capsule, which is scheduled for Thursday. The launch, set for 2:05 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s pad 40, is contingent on favorable weather conditions.

Upon arrival, Hague and Gorbunov will join Starliner astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams aboard the station, along with newly arrived cosmonauts Alexsey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, and NASA’s Donald Pettit.

Additionally, four other crew members—Crew 8 commander Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin—are nearing the conclusion of their six-month mission, planning to return in early October aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft.

First, however, it was essential for the Russians to bring back Kononenko, Chub, and Dyson after their extended stay in space. The Soyuz MS-25/71S spacecraft undocked from the station at 4:36 a.m. EDT. Following a dramatic re-entry, the spacecraft landed in Kazakhstan at 7:59 a.m. EDT (4:59 p.m. local time) under a large red-and-white parachute.

Recovery teams, including NASA support staff, were on site shortly after, assisting the returning astronauts out of the confined Soyuz descent module for medical evaluations and initial communications with family.

Dyson completed 184 days in orbit since her launch on March 23. Kononenko and Chub, who launched aboard a different Soyuz on September 15, set a new record for operational time in space with a total of 374 days, marking the longest mission aboard the International Space Station to date.

With four earlier missions, Kononenko’s total time spent in space now stands at 1,111 days, extending his record by 233 days over the previous record held by cosmonaut Gennady Padalka.

While astronauts regularly exercise to maintain their physical health in microgravity, adapting back to Earth’s gravity typically requires several weeks. Nonetheless, all three crew members appeared to be in excellent health, smiling broadly as they exited the spacecraft and were brought to recliners.

Dyson was visibly surprised when presented with a bouquet of flowers by her previous commander, Oleg Novitskiy, during her return. On Sunday, Kononenko ceremoniously turned over command of the station to Williams, who assumed her leadership role with a noted history aboard the station.

Williams, along with Wilmore, now unexpectedly extends their stay aboard the station for eight-and-a-half months due to helium leaks and thruster complications that necessitated the return of the Boeing spacecraft without a crew on September 7.

“Expedition 71 has taught all of us a lot about flexibility,” Williams stated, acknowledging the changes brought on by the Starliner’s arrival and its consequences for operations. “You adopted Butch and me even though that was not quite the plan. But here we are as part of the family. … We appreciate it.”

As she addressed Kononenko, Williams remarked, “Oleg, we’ll miss your hundreds of stories around the dinner table. But I guess that’s what you get for having over 1,000 days in space—those stories, right?”

Turning her attention to rookie astronaut Chub, she added, “We will miss your precision, your professionalism, but I guess that’s what you get when you sign up for your rookie flight for over a year in space. And Tracy, we’ll miss your ability to bring order out of chaos. Thank you, all three of you, for that.”

The addition of the Starliner crew to the station’s roster complicated an already intricate plan for the rotation of crew members to and from the station, which includes both Soyuz and SpaceX Crew Dragon missions.

Nasa initially aimed to launch the latest Crew Dragon flight in August to transport Crew 9 commander Zena Cardman, Stephanie Wilson, Hague, and Gorbunov to replace Dominick and his team, but delays pushed back their plans.

After thorough discussions, agency managers decided to maintain the Starliner crew aboard the station longer than expected, opting to bring the spacecraft back to Earth by remote control. Consequently, Crew Dragon was the only craft available for Wilmore and Williams’ return.

To accommodate the extended Starliner crew, NASA removed Cardman and Wilson from the Crew 9 list. In the interim, shortly after the Starliner’s uncrewed return, Ovchinin, Vagner, and Pettit were launched to replace the departing team.

As Hague and Gorbunov prepare for their launch on Thursday, Crew 8 members Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin are set to return to Earth around October 4. Following their return, Hague and Gorbunov are expected to head home aboard Crew 9 Dragon around February 22.