Soyuz Crew Completes Eight-Month Space Research Mission with Safe Landing in Kazakhstan
The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, carrying NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, successfully landed on the steppe of Kazakhstan at 12:03 a.m. EST. This marked the end of their 245-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), during which they orbited Earth 3,920 times and traveled nearly 104 million miles. The mission, which began with the spacecraft's launch and docking on April 8, was the first spaceflight for both Kim and Zubritsky. Ryzhikov, however, added to his extensive space experience, now totaling 603 days across three missions. Following their landing, the crew will be transported by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, where recovery teams are stationed. Kim will then return to Houston via a NASA aircraft, while Ryzhikov and Zubritsky will head to their training base in Star City, Russia.