New Delhi: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission returned safely to Earth early Thursday, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. The landing
marked the end of a mission lasting more than five months aboard the International Space Station, bringing four international crew members back home after months of research and operations in orbit.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft touched down at 12:41 a.m. PST. Recovery teams aboard SpaceX vessels secured the capsule shortly after splashdown. The crew returned about a month earlier than planned due to a medical concern involving one astronaut. NASA said the crew member is stable, and no further details will be shared due to medical privacy.
Crew members safely back on Earth
The mission brought back NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. After recovery, all four were transported to a local hospital for routine medical checks, a standard precaution following spaceflight. They are expected to return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston after an overnight stay.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the crew and ground teams, saying the mission showed the strength of international cooperation and the flexibility of the U.S. human spaceflight programme. He noted that the team completed more than 140 scientific experiments despite the adjusted return schedule.
Mission highlights and scientific work
Crew-11 launched on August 1, 2025, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft docked with the International Space Station about 15 hours later. Over 167 days in orbit, the crew travelled nearly 71 million miles and circled Earth more than 2,600 times.
The mission was the fourth spaceflight of Mike Fincke, who is one of the most experienced NASA astronauts. The crew assisted in maintaining the station, testing new technologies and conducting research in the future missions to the Moon and Mars during the stay. They also celebrated 25 years of uninterrupted human habitation in the space station.
The programme which resulted in Crew-11 was the NASA Commercial Crew Program in partnership with private companies such as SpaceX to transport astronauts in and out of the space station. The programme would provide the reliability of access to low Earth orbit and will enable NASA to concentrate on further space exploration, including upcoming Artemis missions.
The successful Crew-11 reentry again reflected the programme in its capacity to improvise fast, ensure the safety of the crew, and continue scientific operations in orbit.
