Four astronauts from the Crew-5 mission have been in space for about 5 months before safely returning to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance safely landed the Crew-5 astronauts in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Florida, USA (Photo: Flickr).
According to Space, the four astronauts aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule, also known as Endurance, landed on Earth on March 12 (Vietnam time), concluding a 157-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Prior to landing, the Dragon Endurance separated from the ISS at 2:20 PM on March 11. The spacecraft performed several maneuvers to enter the re-entry orbit and safely descended with parachutes into the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Florida, USA.
The four Crew-5 astronauts, Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann (USA), Koichi Wakata (Japan), and Anna Kikina (Russia), all landed in good health. There were no incidents reported during the landing process.
“Thank you, SpaceX, it was an amazing trip!”, astronaut Nicole Mann shared her feelings after the landing. “We are very happy to be home.”
The Crew-5 team completed their 157-day mission in space. (Photo: Space).
In addition to its professional significance, the Crew-5 mission also broke several records, as three of the four crew members were the first to participate in a spaceflight.
For Mann, she became the first Native American woman to go to space. Meanwhile, Kikina is the first Russian to fly on a private American spacecraft.
This is a collaborative flight, part of NASA’s and SpaceX’s Commercial Crew Program. The next mission, Crew-6, was launched on March 3, carrying four astronauts to the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour, expected to last for six months.
