{
  "id": 12957142,
  "title": "‘We are so excited to be back’: SpaceX’s recovery ship brought back four astronauts to Earth after an eight-month mission",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/we-are-so-excited-to-be-back-spacexs-recovery-ship-brought-back-four",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-08T20:42:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/10/08/spacex-four-astronauts-back-earth/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Four astronauts, Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev, returned to Earth after an eight-month mission on the International Space Station. They were replaced by U.S., French and Russian flyers who had departed the orbiting laboratory earlier due to a medical emergency. The crew splashed down off the coast of Los Angeles, joyfully reunited with their families after a lengthy separation. Meir expressed her excitement about returning to Earth, missing the \"extraordinary views of our home planet.\" The astronauts spent time enjoying the shower, feeling the wind on their faces, and even participating in a dance party and cooking demonstrations during their mission. They also celebrated the United States' 250th birthday while in space. Currently, seven astronauts from the U.S., Russia and Canada remain aboard the space station, which has welcomed visitors from 26 countries since its inception in 2000.",
  "summary": "The crew had left for space in February to replace four station occupants who were sent home early after one of them fell ill",
  "key_points": [],
  "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."
}