NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, Roscosmos’ Novitskiy, and Belarus’ Vasilevskaya return to earth

NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya have returned to Earth after completing a significant six-month research mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The trio made their journey home aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft, departing the ISS at 11:54 p.m. EDT on April 5 and touching down safely, with parachute assistance, southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, at 3:17 a.m. on April 6.

O’Hara’s mission, which began on September 15, 2023, marked her first spaceflight and totaled 204 days in orbit. She was part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, conducting vital research to pave the way for future lunar exploration and laying the groundwork for manned missions to Mars. Throughout her journey, O’Hara completed an impressive 3,264 orbits of Earth, covering over 86.5 million miles. Her scientific endeavors on the ISS included studies on heart health, cancer treatments, and space manufacturing techniques.

Novitskiy, a veteran of four spaceflights, has now accumulated a remarkable total of 545 days in space. Vasilevskaya, on her inaugural spaceflight, spent 14 days in orbit, contributing to the mission’s success.

Upon completing post-landing medical evaluations, the crew will proceed to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, for recovery operations. O’Hara is scheduled to board a NASA aircraft for her return to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The departure of Soyuz MS-24 also marks the official commencement of Expedition 71 on the ISS. The new crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Tracy C. Dyson, Jeannette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, and Oleg Kononenko, will continue their work on the orbiting laboratory until the fall.

This successful mission underscores the collaborative efforts of international space agencies and sets the stage for the next era of space exploration.