NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Returns After Record 235-Day Mission Delayed by Hurricane Milton, Splashing Down Off Florida

Oct 25, 2024, 06:34 AM

NASA and SpaceX's Crew-8 mission has successfully returned to Earth after an extended 235-day, 3-hour, and 35-minute stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), marking the longest flight by any piloted U.S. spacecraft in history. The crew, comprising NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, undocked from the ISS aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule Endeavour on October 23 at 5:05 pm EDT. After traveling nearly 100 million miles around Earth, the capsule splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 3:29 am ET on October 25. The return of Crew-8 was delayed by over two weeks due to inclement weather, including Hurricane Milton, and issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule. This mission marked SpaceX's 13th human spaceflight. During their nearly eight-month mission, the astronauts conducted various experiments and contributed to ongoing research aboard the ISS.