Four members of NASA’s Crew-12 mission returned to Earth on Thursday, October 8, 2026, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles. The crew, consisting of two NASA astronauts, one European Space Agency astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut, completed a 237-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The mission began on February 13, 2026, when the crew launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. During their nearly eight months in orbit, the team conducted dozens of science experiments and performed multiple spacewalks to maintain the orbital facility. They were replaced by the Crew-13 mission, which arrived at the ISS on October 1, 2026.
The return journey included a nine-minute thruster firing at 10:46 a.m. ET on Thursday to drop the SpaceX Dragon capsule "Freedom" out of orbit. The spacecraft reentered the atmosphere at orbital speeds of about 17,500 mph, with its heat shield enduring temperatures up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The capsule slowed to approximately 15 mph for splashdown at 11:34 a.m. ET, assisted by four parachutes. A SpaceX recovery team then stabilized the capsule and arranged lines to transport it to the recovery ship Shannon.
The mission represents the 20th time SpaceX has sent humans into orbit. The return of Crew-12 follows the arrival of Crew-13 members—Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk, and Sergey Teteryatnikov—who launched Oct. 1 for their own six-month scientific rotation. Additionally, two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut remain on the station as part of the Soyuz MS-29 mission, which launched in July.
The four Crew-12 members were to remain under medical supervision by flight surgeons as they transitioned from the recovery ship to shore via helicopter. NASA reported that Meir conducted four spacewalks totaling over 27 hours, while Adenot performed three. The crew’s return marks the final phase of their mission, shifting focus to the analysis of the experiments they returned to Earth and their personal recovery from long-duration spaceflight.