NASA’s Crew 7 returns to Earth after spending 197 days in space station

New Delhi : NASA’s Crew 7 astronauts, from four different space agencies, have returned safely after spending 197 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the US space agency has said.

The four crew members returned to Earth on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which undocked from the space station at 11:20 a.m. ET on March 11. The vehicle splashed down off the coast of Pensacola, Florida at 5:47 am ET (3:17 pm IST) on Tuesday, NASA said.

The Crew 7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, launched to the ISS on August 26, last year.

“And splashdown! #Crew7 has returned to Earth after spending nearly six months aboard the @Space_Station conducting science and research,” NASA wrote in a post on X.com

“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth,” added SpaceX on X. During their six months on the ISS, the Crew-7 conducted science experiments and technology demonstrations to benefit people on Earth and prepare humans for future space missions.

Their scientific milestones include a study on the impact of spaceflight on immune function; eliminating contaminants from wastewater; and growing food on station. Outside the station, the team deployed two CubeSats which are low-cost alternatives to traditional satellites.