Three astronauts returned from the ISS

Three astronauts have returned to Earth after several months on the International Space Station (ISS). The Soyuz MS-28 space capsule with the Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Swertschkov and Sergei Mikayev as well as the NASA astronaut Christopher Williams landed at 12:27 p.m. German time in the Kazakh steppe near the city of Shezkasgan, as the Russian space agency Roscosmos announced.

In a live stream from Roscosmos, the three were repeatedly seen smiling as they were cared for after landing. Mikayev said in a short statement that he was feeling good. All three would be medically examined, commentators on the stream announced.

It was the first time on the ISS for Williams and Mikayev, and the second for Kud-Swertchkov. The three astronauts flew to the ISS at the end of November last year and spent eight months there. According to NASA, in 241 days they orbited the Earth 3,856 times and covered more than 160 million kilometers.

With the return of the three astronauts, the 74th long-term expedition on the ISS ends. It had been running since early December and included the first medical evacuation of an ISS crew member in the space station’s history. A total of ten astronauts were involved. According to the Nasa database, they conducted a total of 259 scientific experiments in pharmaceutical, physical and other fields. The crew also maintained the space station. Mikayev and Kud-Swertschkov carried out one field mission together, Williams was involved in two others out of a total of three field missions.

There is now a crew of seven on board the ISS. Kud-Sverchkov handed over command to NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, who, according to NASA, will remain in charge until the end of this summer. She is also initially leading the 75th ISS expedition, which begins today and is scheduled to last until spring 2027.

Despite Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine for more than four years, Russia and the USA continue to work together on the ISS. The station flies around the earth in space at an altitude of around 400 kilometers. Astronauts have been living and researching on board the ISS for around 25 years.

(nen)