Key Points

NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov returned to Earth after spending about 148 days on the International Space Station (ISS). The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the four-person crew splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California, at 11:33 a.m. EDT (9:03 p.m. IST). "Splashdown of Dragon confirmed!" SpaceX shared in a post on the social media platform X. "Welcome home #crew10! The four-person crew spent 148 days at the @Space_Station," added NASA.

The Crew-10 was the 10th operational astronaut mission that SpaceX has flown to and from the ISS for NASA via the agency's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The crew landed on the ISS in March and conducted science work during the last five months. During their stay in space, the crew studied space-caused mental and physical changes in astronauts, blood flow from the brain to the heart, future lunar navigation techniques and more.

They also brought back critical research samples stowed in portable science freezers inside Dragon for retrieval and analysis back on Earth. Their return comes as the four-member Crew-11 arrived on the orbital laboratory earlier this month. The Crew-11 consists of Commander and Pilot Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, both from NASA, and Mission Specialists Kimiya Yui from JAXA and Oleg Platonov from Roscosmos.

During their six-month stay, the Crew-11 astronauts will carry out a variety of scientific experiments and technology demonstrations. These include simulating lunar landings, testing eye protection methods for space travel, and studying how plant cells divide in space. They will also explore manufacturing high-quality stem cells, alternatives to antibiotics to treat bacterial infections, cell division in plants to promote space agriculture, and more, NASA said.

- IANS