Heading Home After a Long-Duration Mission

The four astronauts of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission have officially begun their trip back to Earth, marking the end of an extensive stay in orbit that lasted nearly 10 months. The Crew Dragon capsule, dubbed "Freedom," successfully detached from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 8:05 a.m. EDT.

If flight operations proceed as scheduled, the capsule is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of California on Thursday, Oct. 8, at approximately 11:34 a.m. EDT. Following the return, NASA and SpaceX are set to host a post-flight press conference to discuss the mission's conclusion and upcoming logistical plans, including the launch of the robotic CRS-35 cargo resupply mission.


The Crew-12 Team and Their Impact

The mission crew consists of NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos representative Andrey Fedyaev. While Meir and Fedyaev brought prior flight experience to the team, the mission represented the first spaceflight for Hathaway and Adenot. Launched on Feb. 13, the team played a vital role in restoring the station’s full operational capacity after a period where the facility functioned with a reduced crew.


Scientific Achievements and Spacewalks

During their prolonged stay in orbit, the crew remained highly active, balancing routine maintenance of the station with dozens of complex scientific investigations. A significant portion of their mission involved extravehicular activity (EVA):

  • Jessica Meir completed four spacewalks, bringing her career total to seven.
  • Sophie Adenot made history on Aug. 18 by becoming the first French woman to perform a spacewalk.
  • Adenot conducted two additional spacewalks in the following weeks, including an all-female excursion alongside Meir—only the sixth such event in the history of the station.

Reflections on the Journey

As they prepare to re-enter the atmosphere, the astronauts have shared reflections on the mixed emotions associated with such a significant transition. In a recent press briefing, Jessica Meir expressed her anticipation for returning to her family and the sensory experiences of life on Earth:

«What I'm looking forward to most is seeing my three-and-a-half-year-old daughter. I'm so looking forward to seeing nature again, feeling the breeze on my face, the wind rustling through the leaves, experiencing all those things that we don't have up here. But I will very, very much miss being weightless all the time and the incredible views that we have.»

The crew has been succeeded by the four-person Crew-13 team, who arrived at the ISS on Oct. 1 following a record-breakingly fast transit to the station.