Four Astronauts Return After Eight Months

Four astronauts from NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 splashed down at 8:34 a.m. PDT on Oct. 8, 2026, off the Los Angeles coast aboard Dragon Freedom. Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev launched Feb. 13, 2026, from Cape Canaveral and docked to the ISS the next day. Freedom undocked Wednesday at 5:05 a.m. PDT. After a 9.5-minute deorbit burn from 7:46 a.m. PDT, trunk separation, entry near 8:22 a.m. PDT with a seven-minute blackout, and parachute deployments, the capsule landed on schedule. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the crew spent 237 days living and working in orbit, traveled more than 100 million miles, advanced important science, and returned safely home because of extraordinary expertise across NASA, SpaceX, and international partners. Dana Weigel said NASA is thrilled to welcome them home. NASA lists 237 days and more than 3,792 orbits; Starlust lists 235 days and nearly 3,800. Meir's four spacewalks brought her career total to seven, third among NASA women, and 440 days in space. Adenot's three spacewalks made her the first French woman to spacewalk. It was the second flight for Meir and Fedyaev and the first for Hathaway and Adenot. A briefing is set for Oct. 15. No left-rated or right-rated coverage is in the record.