The Crew-12 mission concluded as four space travelers completed their assignment to the International Space Station and returned to Earth. The crew consisted of NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The group splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on Thursday.
The return sequence began with the spacecraft firing thrusters to exit orbit at a velocity of 17,500 miles per hour. The capsule then entered the atmosphere, where its heat shield protected the crew from temperatures reaching up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit during reentry. After approximately 30 minutes of deceleration, parachutes deployed to slow the spacecraft to 16 miles per hour before it made contact with the ocean.
The mission launched in February from Cape Canaveral in Florida aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, marking the 20th crewed spaceflight conducted by SpaceX. Following docking with the space station, the crew spent eight months conducting scientific research and station maintenance. Their work included studies on stem cells, crystal growth in microgravity, and bone loss in weightless environments. Commander Meir completed four spacewalks totaling over 27 hours, while Adenot performed three spacewalks to maintain and upgrade station systems.
The Crew-12 members were succeeded by Crew-13, who arrived at the station the previous week to begin a six-month rotation. Prior to departure, Meir expressed anticipation about experiencing natural phenomena on Earth, including wind and rustling leaves—sensations unavailable during extended orbital residence. The veteran astronaut also noted she would miss the weightlessness and Earth views unique to space travel.
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