{
  "id": 12905443,
  "title": "Space station crew returns to Earth with perfect splashdown",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/space-station-crew-returns-to-earth-with-perfect-splashdown",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-08T16:16:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/space-station-crew-end-mission-pacific-ocean-splashdown/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Crew 12 concluded their 237-day mission by returning to Earth on Thursday, splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles. The crew of four – Commander Jessica Meir, pilot Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev – had been in orbit since dropping out of orbit from the International Space Station on March 13. Their Crew Dragon capsule, named Freedom, executed a nine-minute thruster firing at 10:46 a.m. ET, slowing the ship to reenter the atmosphere. Eleven minutes later, the spacecraft entered the atmosphere at nearly 5 miles per second, rapidly decelerating and deploying its main parachutes at a speed of 120 mph. This resulted in a gentle splashdown at 11:34 a.m. ET, approximately 50 miles west of Los Angeles. The crew members underwent initial medical checks and were flown to the Johnson Space Center in Houston for rehabilitation. Prior to their return, Crew 12 had spent eight months in space, conducting numerous experiments and research projects for scientists on the ground, while also maintaining the space station. They were replaced by Crew 13, which is currently aboard the space station.",
  "summary": "The Crew 13 fliers completed a mission spanning more than 100 million miles with a pinpoint splashdown off the coast of Southern California.",
  "key_points": [
    "Crew 12 completes 237-day mission on Thursday",
    "Four astronauts splash down safely in Pacific Ocean",
    "Crew Dragon capsule 'Freedom' returns from ISS"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}