PACIFIC OCEAN — NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. The Crew Dragon capsule "Freedom" undocked from the International Space Station at 8:05 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, and the splashdown occurred at 11:34 a.m. The mission lasted 237 days, concluding with the crew's return to Earth after nearly 10 months in orbit. Primary source: nasa.gov

"We are so excited to be back on Planet Earth after an incredible mission on the International Space Station," NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir said in a radio transmission. "It's a lot of mixed, swirling emotions for all of us."

Jessica Meir, who is from Caribou, Maine, served as commander of Expedition 74 in July 2026. During the mission, she conducted four spacewalks. Sophie Adenot performed three spacewalks during the mission.

Jack Hathaway grew a mustache before the mission to honor his Navy ties. "It’s kind of become a little bit of my brand up here, so I don’t know if it’ll go away right away or I’ll end up keeping it for a while," he said in an interview. "Going home and being able to take a nice long hot shower will be very relaxing and very nice."

"We just wanted to give an enormous thank you to all of the team, our friends and colleagues on board the International Space Station, everybody in Houston, everybody at SpaceX, all around the world, with all of our international partners," she said in a radio transmission. "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."

The crew departed the International Space Station to replace four occupants who were sent home early after NASA astronaut Mike Fincke fell ill. The early return of the previous crew was NASA's first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight. The Crew-12 replacements arrived three weeks late due to capsule repairs.

Seven astronauts remain aboard the International Space Station, representing the U.S., Russia, and Canada. The International Space Station has welcomed 298 visitors from 26 countries since 2000, according to NASA.

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Sophie Adenot's 237 days in orbit set an endurance record for the European Space Agency. A news conference was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 15, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, to discuss the mission. Primary source: nasa.gov