Four astronauts from four countries returned to Earth on a SpaceX spacecraft on Tuesday, ending their six-month mission on the International Space Station.
Their capsule crossed the United States in the predawn darkness and splashed into the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Panhandle.
NASA Marine Helicopter Pilot Jasmine Mogbeli led the return of Denmark’s Andreas Morgensen, Japan’s Satoshi Furukawa and Russia’s Konstantin Borisov.
They moved into the space station last August. Their replacements arrived last week in their own SpaceX capsules.
“We left you some peanut butter and tortilla chips,” Mogbeli said over the radio after leaving the orbital complex on Monday. NASA’s Lola O’Hara responded: “I miss you guys already and thank you for this very generous gift.”
O’Hara will spend several more weeks on the space station before departing aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule.
Before leaving the space station, Morgensen said via X (formerly Twitter) that he couldn’t wait to hear “the birds singing in the trees” and was also craving crunchy treats.
NASA prefers multiple travel options if a rocket fails. Boeing should begin taxi service for astronauts and conduct test flights with two pilots in early May.
