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On Saturday, August 9, four astronauts from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission safely returned to Earth after nearly five months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 11:33 a.m. EDT, marking NASA’s first Commercial Crew Program splashdown in these waters.

The Crew-10 mission, which launched on March 14, 2025, from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, saw the astronauts spend 146 days in orbit. Their Crew Dragon capsule, named Endurance, undocked from the ISS’s Harmony module on Friday, August 8, at 6:15 p.m. EDT, beginning a 17.5-hour journey back to Earth. The capsule, traveling at speeds exceeding 16,500 mph during reentry, endured temperatures near 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit before deploying parachutes for a gentle splashdown at approximately 15 mph.

The recovery ship, called Shannon, retrieved Endurance and the crew out of the ocean. It was checked for hydrazine leaks before being assisted onto stretchers for medical evaluations. All four astronauts were reported in good health and were flown by helicopter to shore, with plans to return to their respective homes in Houston, Japan, and Russia.

During their time on the ISS, the Crew-10 astronauts conducted over 200 scientific experiments, including studies on microgravity’s effects on human health, plant growth, and cell behavior, as well as testing new technologies for long-duration space missions. Their mission also played a critical role in relieving NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were stranded on the ISS for nine months due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Crew-10’s arrival in March allowed Wilmore and Williams to return home earlier via a SpaceX capsule.

The splashdown off California’s coast was a historic shift for NASA, as previous SpaceX crewed missions had landed off Florida. The change was made to mitigate risks from Crew Dragon trunk debris reentering over populated areas, a decision informed by incidents where debris survived reentry. This marked the first NASA astronaut Pacific splashdown since the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission.

Crew-10’s return concludes NASA’s 10th commercial crew rotation, with Crew-11, who arrived at the ISS on August 2, taking over duties. The Endurance capsule, on its fourth flight, will be refurbished in Hawthorne, California, for future missions.

The successful return underscores the ongoing partnership between NASA and SpaceX in advancing human spaceflight.

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