Space travelers en route from the International Space Station to our planet Earth - Crew of four cosmonauts en route to Earth following their time aboard the International Space Station
NASA's Crew-10 Returns Safely to Earth After Five-Month Mission
NASA's Crew-10, consisting of astronauts Anne McClain (commander), Nichole Ayers (pilot), Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov, returned safely to Earth on August 9, 2025, concluding a 148-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, named Endurance, undocked from the ISS’s forward port at 6:15 p.m. EDT on August 8, marking the beginning of their journey home.
The descent included a 17½-minute deorbit burn and deployment of parachutes before the capsule autonomously splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 11:33 a.m. EDT on August 9. Recovery teams aboard SpaceX vessels quickly secured the spacecraft and assisted the crew. After initial medical checks, the astronauts were flown back to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to reunite with their families.
During their nearly five-month mission, Crew-10 conducted a wide range of scientific research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance tasks on the ISS. They completed dozens of experiments spanning biology, biotechnology, physical science, and Earth science. One of these experiments focused on plant growth, while another studied cellular reactions to gravity.
The work of Crew-10 contributed to ongoing human exploration goals, helping NASA advance long-duration spaceflight capabilities that will inform future missions to the Moon and Mars. The crew also accomplished a spacewalk and supported the arrival and departure of other visiting spacecraft, including the recent private Axiom Space mission.
With the return of Crew-10, the new crew, Crew-11, is set to relieve them on the ISS. The collaboration between NASA and private space companies is indicated by the numbers of the teams (e.g., "Crew 10" and "Crew 11"). The launch site for Crew-11 is California, and they will continue the experiments and tasks initiated by Crew-10 on the ISS.
The return journey of the two stranded astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, was also handled by SpaceX. The returning crew to Earth consists of Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers (both American), Takuya Onishi (Japanese), and Kirill Peskov (Russian). The focus of the experiments on the ISS may include simulations for a moon landing, among other tasks.
I'm on my way back to the International Space Station, bridging the gap for Crew-11, whose launch is set in California. The work and research we've conducted in space-and-astronomy, including plant growth and cellular reactions to gravity, is crucial for the advancement of future science and technology, paving the way for human exploration goals in space, such as Mars and the Moon.
