Four Astronauts Splash Down off Los Angeles After 237 Days in Orbit
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission brought four astronauts back to Earth on Oct. 8, 2026, when the Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev had been living aboard the International Space Station since February.
NASA describes the flight as part of its Low Earth Orbit Program, which pays private U.S. companies, SpaceX among them, to carry astronauts to and from the station. Dana Weigel, who manages the program at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said the station work supplies the science, engineering and risk reduction that missions across the solar system will need.
By NASA's account, the crew spent 237 days in space, circled Earth more than 3,792 times and traveled more than 100 million miles. Crew-12 lifted off Feb. 13, 2026, and docked at the station the next day.
The agency said the crew's work included testing stem cell production for cell-based therapies, generating IV fluid on demand, and studying how the bacteria that cause pneumonia can lead to lasting heart damage. Meir made four spacewalks during the stay, taking her career total to seven. Adenot made three and became the first French woman to go outside the station.
SpaceX recovery vessels pulled the capsule and its crew from the water shortly after splashdown. NASA said the astronauts would have standard postflight medical checks, then fly to shore and on to Johnson Space Center.
