4 minutes

Paul Cotter

American, Russian, and Japanese space team parts finally come home. The team has been working on the International Space Station (ISS) since mid-autumn 2022. Throughout that time, they had to overcome various challenges, ranging from navigating dangerous space debris to fixing a Russian capsule malfunction that caused a fast transfer of a backup spaceship. Nicole Mann headed the mission, being the 1st American-born female to go into space.

The team set off from the ISS on Saturday afternoon and began their journey homeward. However, because of the storm, their trip back was delayed, and they had to spend more hours at the station. The SpaceX Dragon capsule eventually delivered the flight personnel safely near Florida, where they were met by relatives.

Josh Cassada jokingly suggested having a dog for relatives but did not tell his two cats of the idea before leaving the ISS. While the returning astronauts are no doubt very happy to be back on Earth, three Americans, three Russians, and a crew member from the United Arab Emirates remain on the ISS. Wakata, who has spent more than 500 days in space on five missions, can finally return home after this successful mission.

Despite the challenges, they faced while on the station, the crew was delighted to be reunited with their loved ones and grateful for the opportunity to explore space.