SpaceX Crew-12 astronaut mission splashes down off California coast
Astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev returned to Earth aboard SpaceX Dragon Freedom after nearly eight months on the space station.
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev safely returned to Earth on October 8, 2026. Their SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Los Angeles, California, at 11:34 a.m. EDT following an eight month stay aboard the International Space Station.
Dragon completed its deorbit burn before deploying drogue and main parachutes as scheduled. Recovery ships secured the capsule and assisted the crew out of the spacecraft. The departure leaves seven crew members aboard the station following the recent arrival of Crew-13.