Record broken as Russian and American astronauts return to Earth from ISS
Three astronauts from Russia and the U.S. returned to Earth on Monday after leaving the International Space Station (ISS).
On Monday, Russians Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub alongside American Tracy Dyson arrived in a capsule that touched down in the expansive Kazakhstan steppe approximately three and a half hours after undocking.
Kononenko and Chub launched to the International Space Station on Sept. 15, 2023, and on Friday set the record for the longest continuous stay on the ISS. Dyson, on her third space mission, spent six months aboard the station.
“Astronaut Tracy Dyson and her crewmates are set to return to Earth from the
@Space_Station on Sept. 23. Join us for live coverage starting at 12:45 a.m. ET (0445 UTC). Undocking is scheduled for 4:37 a.m. ET (0837 UTC),” National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Eight astronauts are still aboard the space station, including Americans Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose return to Earth has been delayed well beyond the original schedule.
NASA via Getty Images/Getty Images
They arrived in June as the inaugural crew aboard Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, but their mission faced setbacks due to thruster malfunctions and helium leaks. NASA ultimately determined it was too risky to bring them back on Starliner.
Wilmore and Williams are set to return to Earth on a SpaceX ship next year.
Earlier this month, Boeing’s Starliner capsule made its return to Earth but without the two astronauts, Williams and Wimore, on board. Six hours after leaving the International Space Station, Starliner descended through the dark desert skies on autopilot, landing by parachute at New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range on September 7.
“It’s been a journey to get here, and we’re excited to have Starliner come home,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.
The Starliner’s challenges are not new. Boeing’s first test flight in 2019 was marred by software errors that prevented the capsule from reaching the ISS. After three years, the mission was repeated with a new hosting of issues surfaced. Over $1 billion in repairs and modifications were carried out as a result.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
